Reading Abbey History 

THE BEGINNINGS  

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Philippa Langley telephoned John Mullaney in late 2013 about Reading’s royal abbey. Earlier that year, during an extensive speaking tour for her 2012 Looking For Richard Project, she had been approached by some local historians to instigate a similar research project in Reading with the aim of telling the town’s unique historical story of Henry I and his Abbey. By the autumn of 2013 and early 2014, meetings in Reading had achieved some success in raising interest in the project.  However it was becoming clear that local knowledge was going to be key in order for this exciting new research initiative to have any hope of getting underway.

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In April 2014 John and Lindsay Mullaney met Philippa informally at St James' church, sited within the ancient Abbey precinct, and introduced her to Canon John O’Shea, the parish priest.  In subsequent meetings John and Lindsay showed Philippa around the Abbey Quarter, taking her to areas not always accessible to the public. They discussed whether to go ahead with historical investigations about the Abbey as the burial place of Henry I. John had been researching and writing about the church of St James, and about the ancient  Abbey and its Benedictine connections, for over 35 years. This dated back to his time as a history teacher in Reading and his MA research into local Catholic education. 

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Philippa got in touch with Historic England who sent their regional director to talk to this small group and to look around the whole site. Philippa, John and Lindsay, were gratified to receive his support, though it was made clear the actual task of revealing the Abbey and bringing it to life, with this exciting new research initiative, would not be an easy or straightforward task.

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In April 2014 Canon John O’ Shea of St James’ Parish hosted a meeting convened by John Mullaney, Lindsay Mullaney and Philippa Langley.  The discovery of Richard III had created much excitement and anticipation at the possibility of discovering the resting place of Henry I in the Abbey grounds.  With the Richard III project drawing to its conclusion, and with the preparations for the reburial of the king, it was decided to look into the possibility of getting this new research venture in Reading underway.

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Unlike the mystery of Richard, it was well documented that Henry had been buried in 1136, at Reading Abbey, in front of the High Altar.  As Philippa said, here was a different story to be told about Reading, the story of one of the greatest monasteries in England which had all but vanished in the years following the Reformation. Indeed all that remain standing are a few crumbling flint cores belonging to its once magnificent transepts, its chapter house, dormitory and refectory. 

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The meetings continued apace at St James’s and more interested parties joined the group, including Darlow Smithson Productions and Channel 4 whom Philippa had interested in the project in 2013 (and who had joined her at some of the earliest meetings in Reading). On the 21st September 2014 Philippa produced an initial outline research report and gave the project its name, The Hidden Abbey Project (HAP), securing the necessary copyright and domains. John and Lindsay agreed with the project’s name as this would encompass many aspects of Henry's abbey, not just his burial place.

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This would be a different kind of a search for a king. It would be a project to reveal what this great, but rather obscure, monarch had done not just for Reading but for England. If, in the course of these investigations, Henry’s resting place was discovered, then this would be a moment of great significance.

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The first problem was that the ancient Abbey land was now in the possession of three main landowners: Reading Borough Council, the Ministry of Justice and the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth. Each of these would need to be involved.