U3A THREE RIVERS WALK Reading 2016

This is the third walk of the Wokingham U3A's Walks into History Group. This urban walk was an exploration of Reading's three rivers – the Holy Brook, the Kennet and the Thames. It progressed from the smallest to the largest and also historically forwards from the 11th C to more modern times. There were eleven of us, plus the walk leader. We were blessed with fine weather, an excellent guide in Jane Sellwood, and had a very enjoyable and illuminating walk.

We started from behind the library (where the Abbey stables used to be) and learnt about the Holy Brook, coming from the west of Reading to supply Reading Abbey with water. However, upstream in Reading it was used for dyeing and other trades and polluted the river – the Abbot was greatly displeased. We saw the decorated 11C Abbey Arch, where the brook was constrained to a narrow channel, to increase the flow and feed the abbey's mill. The arch was incorporated into a "modern" mill building and only rediscovered when this was demolished in the 1950's.

We then walked on to where the brook ended, at Kennet Wharf. This was a busy industrial area in the 14C with nearby leather and tanning works. We walked past the remains of the abbey, which was the recipient of a restoration grant in December 2015 and is due to be open to the public again in 2018. We walked up Chestnut Walk, past the prison, known for Oscar Wilde's "Ballad of Reading Gaol". We then continued further east, past the centre of the Huntley & Palmers industrial area, famous in the 18th and 19th C for its tinned biscuits. The impact of the factory was widespread, with railway sidings and the river wharves all needed to help supply the factory and distribute its output. At Blake's Lock we popped in to the sewage pumping station, now a small museum. The lock is just before the end of the Kennet, where it joins the Thames - this area, Newtown, was formerly a major residential area for the factory workers and those of the nearby Sutton Seeds company. We passed under two railway bridges, built for the South Eastern and Great Western railways. Just beyond the second bridge, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, we crossed the pedestrian horseshoe bridge, originally for the barge horses on the towpath. This allowed us to cross the mouth of the Kennet and head west along the Thames towpath towards the city centre. We crossed the Thames at Caversham Lock, detoured slightly through the nature reserve and then crossed through Hills Meadow, under the road and into Christchurch Meadows. We were able to take advantage of the new pedestrian bridge, opened nine months ago, to cross back to the south bank of the river. Then we returned to the start, via the Forbury Gardens. Jane gave us a couple of pages of notes – which follow. I also have added a few historical maps, showing particularly the extent of the biscuit factory in its heyday.

Detailed historical background

HOLY BROOK

• Part dug by pilgrims ~5m from at present. May have been shorter in past. • Hallowed Brook upstream in town was used for dyeing and other trades – Abbot not pleased. Reading/Berks very important in wool and cloth trade in Medieval times. • 1983 excavated a stone latrine on side of HB – seeds of many fruit. Bones of lamb, pig, chicken, eels, herring, haddock • Some of Abbey stones used in old culverts in the underground sections of the brook

THE ABBEY

• 1121 Henry 1 established Cluniac, Dominican monastery • 1300s very powerful, one of most important in England - town dependent on it • Abbey built on chalk & gravel bank. Low lying clay marsh to south, many river channels. • The abbey was largely destroyed in 1538 during Dissolution of Monastaries. The last abbot, Hugh Cook Faringdon, hanged, drawn and quartered for high treason in front of the Abbey Church.

ABBEY ARCH

• Mill stream – banks renewed often, narrow channel • Grain milling from late 1100s 1st mill – 1959. Abbey bake house inside wall • Incorporated into a ‘modern mill’ and forgotten. Re-discovered when mill demolished.

KENNET WHARF

• Excavations in 1986 - wooden planking, posts, fencing, stones, flints, clay – many refurbishments from 1100 – 1539 • 1300s very busy successful new big wharf and landing stage. Also be used by town? • 1539 – 1715 wharf slowly silts up, less used • 1800 - area opposite = Tanhouse Mead – tanning leather, leather working. • Medieval times R Kennet only navigable from Kennetmouth to High Bridge; 1720s rivers navigable to Newbury; then K&A canal built 1794-1810. River + canal = 87m.

KENNET RIVER

• Important route into Reading for commercial boats & barges – much industry along its length • Fleming Sorensen sculp, Danish. ‘Growth stopped at a moment in time’. Abbey G. • Buildings of the abbey were extensively robbed. • Chestnut Walk. Prison built 1844 - Oscar Wilde in prison; eastern boundary of Abbey • Now difficult to sell off because of archaeology beneath • Compleat Angler sculpture • H&P plaque, site of large factory. 1722 1st biscuits, 1841 biggest in world. 1990 closed. • Blakes Lock Museum and sewage Pump House open • Bridge was gas pipeline and probably railway line & road to H&P factory

BLAKES LOCK, WEIR

• Sewage pumping station ! Manor Farm Basingstoke Rd. Water turbine now electric • Lock: from 1200s flash lock owned by Abbey. 1802 converted to pound lock. • EA managed like all locks on RT (not British Waterways) • Fish = trout, perch, dace, carp, barbel, chubb. No eels. • Newtown – built for H&P employees. Quakers so no pubs. 1938 installed safety rails.

HORSESHOE FOOTBRIDGE, RAILWAY BRIDGES

• 1st bridge is for S E railway tracks – originally to a separate station • Brunnel’s bridge: Listed plaque. Campaign to save it

KENNET MOUTH

• Downstream was power station, Suttons seed trial grounds

RIVER THAMES

• Settlements on riverside, Votive offerings Bronze Age onwards • The 184m, 147 miles source to Teddington, falling 342 ft • Commercial barges, ferries, pleasure steamers, now narrow boats • Area was railway land for sidings; now Tesco • Willow. Withies, osier grown all along RT, Eel fishery up to 1900

KINGS MEADOW

• Palmer family donated to public as recreation ground in late 1880s. • 1926 Prince of Wales visit, boat to Reading Br. King G V Royal Show on Meadow • Boat yard opposite; used to be many local boat builders, gravel pits now marina downstream • Swimming baths for ladies then public. Under restoration. • Reading football club played 1st game here 1872 • 2000 a petition to keep as an open space to Parliament. Granted.

CAVERSHAM LOCK & WEIR, Caversham

• 1493 reference to flash lock, weir, ferry, mill on site – islands important • 1778 pound lock built, re-built 1875 • Hydraulic paddles, nearly 5’ fall • Paddles: 8 large radials, 6 bucks, 5 hand radials control water flow + a Salmon ladder • View & Heron (was Mill) Island nature reserve: withy (willow), baskets & fishing traps • Caversham mill between Heron Is. and Caversham until 1910, demolished in 1970s. Cottages left. • Christchurch Meadows – flood plain • Pedestrian & cycle bridge over R T open 2016

READING - main railway station &

• Roman small object finds but no settlement • Anglo Saxon settlement ‘people of Reada’ • Viking swords and camp found nearby (Danish ~900AD) • 2016 major re-furbishment of station including new tracks, new platforms, viaduct of E-Water main line tracks over the N-S freight lines • 1600 onwards timber footbridge ‘the clappers’ • 1923 concrete bridge built. Single span concrete arch was biggest of its kind at the time.

FORBURY GARDENS

• St Lawrence Church – parish church for townspeople • Abbey arch, railway memorial • Open space within Abbey grounds: a forbury, or 'borough in front'. The Forbury in Reading was part of the outer court of the Abbey, a market place as well as a meeting place • Civil war mound – siege Royalist town. • 1646 - Much destruction, took Reading a long time to recover. End of cloth trade • Lion largest in world, designer did not commit suicide after scandal over stance of lion’s legs • VC soldier memorial, Rose garden

ABBEY GATE

• Entrance to Abbey grounds. Remnant fell down in late 1861. Rebuilt by Giles Gilbert Scott • Jane Austen went to school here

This is recent map of that part of Reading that we covered in the walk. What was the biscuit factory is now office buildings. The housing developments along the Kennet, by the lock, can be seen. This is Heron Island.

In 1952 the biscuit factory was still going and its railway sidings cover quite an area, as does the gasworks, to the east. King's Meadow had yet to gain its distinctive housing. The gravel pits and marina at Dean's Farm had yet to be constructed. King's Meadow was King's Mead.

In 1900 we now clearly see the separate railways, each with their own station. The sewage pumping station can also be seen, between the Biscuit factory and the Gas Works. The spot near the lock, labelled "Bathing Place" is where the open-air swimming pool was built in 1902 – and it is now being restored, after 40 years of disuse and disrepair.

This plan shows the layout of the abbey, overlaid with the current day buildings.