Reading Abbey History

THE STONES

Silchester

Silchester

Taynton type stone Dimensions; Top 17 x 17 cms, height 21 cms, central hole 5x5 cms and 4cms deep. Description: This is a simple squared off block. Apart from the square hole there are markings on at least two of the sides. On one side there there are three deep cuts. On another there are some other indistinct marks which may be that of a saltire cross shape. Side with 3 indentations Side with possible saltire The possibility th

Identifying an Abbey Stone

Identifying an Abbey Stone

The purpose of HASP is to discover stones that may have come from Reading Abbey and which were previously unknown or which had not been examined. If the stone is found on, or buried in, Abbey grounds then there is a strong assumption that it may have been a part of the Abbey. However if a stone turns up in a garden some miles away how can we tell its origins? THE PETROLOGY First of all it is necessary to look at the petrology of the stone. You will see that nearly all the sto

Caversham Court Gardens

Caversham Court Gardens

There are many stones in these gardens which may have come from the Abbey. Some are in the walls and ornamental features. However there is also a large group of stones amongst which I have selected a couple of special interest. First of all here are some photos of a few of the more interesting specimens. The following group of stones comes from an old photograph showing some that were found before the Second World War and have since vanished. You may able able to help. If you

Douai Abbey

Douai Abbey

Douai Abbey is a Benedictine monastery situated near Woolhampton, some 10 miles west of Reading, It was founded in 1903 following the expulsion of Catholic religious orders from France, For more information about Douai Abbey and specifically its history see http://www.douaiabbey.org.uk/a-brief-history.html NB All the images in this section, Douai Abbey, are under copyright. You are welcome to use them for talks, presentations etc but we ask that you give acknowledgement: copy

Kidmore End - Water Spout

Kidmore End - Water Spout

A single block of stone with a carving of a head which has a hole though its mouth. The head is worn and may represent either a real or mythical animal. It does not look as if it was ever meant to represent a human head. The large block behind the head has a hole which serves to collect water before being discharged through the mouth of the of the head. Dimensions Function: As such a quantity of stone was expensive it is clear that this piece of masonry was not purely decorat

Newtown, Reading - Possible Cornice or Impost post molding

Newtown, Reading - Possible Cornice or Impost post molding

This stone was found in a the back garden of a house in Newtown, near the River Kennet. How did it get here. Did it 'fall off the back of a barge' at the time of the Dissolution of the monasteries on its way maybe to Windsor? Or did some enterprising owner of the house think of beautifying its rockery when the houses were built in the 1870s? This stone has been identified as being carved from oolitic limestone of the Taynton quarry type. It is about 25cms wide x 20cms deep an

Wokingham - Several stones

Wokingham - Several stones

Found in a garden in Wokingham this group of stones has examples of various types of carving. How they come to be here is a mystery. The house is over 100 years old and it seems likely that the original owner merely went along to the Abbey site and collected 'interesting' looking stones for his rockery All the stones are of Taynton type limestone and so fit in with what we would expect for them to be associat

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