Amongst the hundreds of items and images in the new Reading FC exhibit at the Reading Museum, one of the more unique ones comes in a small dented plastic bottle.

Collected by Club Historian David Downs, the bottle contains the liquid used to wash the Royals kits from the triumphant 1988 Simod Cup Final. Somewhat bizarre perhaps, but no level of detail and effort has been spared in this special exhibit to celebrate the club's 150th anniversary.

It’s not easy to fit 150 years into one room but months of work from the Museum staff alongside STAR (Supporters Trust at Reading) and others including Downs and Sir John Madejski - as well as the contributions of supporters - has seen the largest and most diverse collection of Reading mementos and history gathered in one location.

Open from Tuesday, February 22, 2022 and free for all to enter, there truly is no better way to dive into 15 decades of Royals history and see the bond the club has with the town from the earliest days at Kings Meadow to Elm Park and through to the Madejski Stadium.

In attendance at the launch of the exhibit were numerous influential members of Reading's past, present and future including Sir John Madejski, Lawrie Sanchez, CEO Dayong Pang, STAR’s Roger Titford, and current first-team players Luke Southwood and Michael Morrison.

“It’s incredible,” Royals captain Morrison said. “I think sometimes when you’re playing you don’t realise you’re a part of history and how much has gone into this football club. It makes you realise how big and how important the football club is and the history you’re trying to make.

“I think seeing things like this does give you motivation, it does make you realise how many people are depending on you and what it means in the community and the town as a whole.

“So it is really powerful to see this kind of thing, and see the history. When you see back 100, 150 years, the crowds they were getting, it’s amazing. So yeah, it’s a real honour to represent the football club and to be captain is a real honour.”

A wall of images takes visitors through the chronological history of the football club while kits from nearly every era are sure to bring nostalgia to all. 

Jimmy Quinn’s golden boot, seats from Elm Park, and items from Madejski’s personal collection are just a few of the attractions in a truly epic depiction of the club’s history.

"Through a unique gathering of ephemera, images, and mementos, COLLECTED: 150 Years of Reading FC tells the story of Reading Football Club’s incredible journey, from a group of young townsmen playing on Kings Meadow to the heights of the national game," the official announcement of the exhibit from the Reading Museum explains.

The exhibit will be open for the next six months, closing on August 13th. For more information including opening times, click the link below:

https://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/collected-150-years-reading-fc