Reading Landmarks
Reading Town Hall
‘Landmark - a building or place that is easily recognized, especially one that can be used to judge where you are’
Reading’s landmarks have come and gone as the town’s fortunes have ebbed and flowed over the last thousand years. Now physically over-shadowed by ‘The Blade’, Reading Abbey has been a symbol of the town since the twelfth century, though no longer in a form that its founder King Henry I would recognise.
In Murray’s Berkshire Architectural Guide, John Betjeman and John Piper found that ‘No town in the south of England hides its attractions more successfully from the visitor’, but careful exploration is rewarded. Reading’s ‘landmarks’ such as the Abbey and the Town Hall are worthwhile attractions for visitors and residents alike, but others have disappeared, such as the once extensive Huntley & Palmers biscuit factory, and only live on as images in our collections.
You can explore a selection of Reading landmarks by click on the ‘See related objects’ link below.