Reading Photo Gallery - Abbey Ruins

Just a short walk from the town centre are the Reading Abbey's ruins. This grand structure dates from the medieval period with King Henry I announcing its construction in 1121, becoming one of the largest monasteries in Europe and he would eventually be buried here in 1136. Construction continued for the next 200 years and monks lived here for over 400 until everything abruptly stopped in the 1530s during the 'Dissolution' and it was destroyed during the Civil War.