Join us on a walking tour to explore the Thames-side town of Reading. The ruins of Reading Abbey reopened in 2018. It is near Reading Gaol and the museum, where Britain’s Bayeux Tapestry is displayed and the history of the Huntley & Palmers biscuit factory is told.
The tapestry is a full-sized copy of the original and was made by skilled Victorian women embroiderers in 1885. The gallery explores the background and impact of the Norman Conquest by William I. His youngest son, Henry I, founded Reading Abbey in 1121 when he announced he wanted a new abbey
built there. No expense was spared in its construction and monks lived, worked and worshipped there for more than 400 years. The Abbey Quarter covers the former precinct of this royal monastery.
We meet our guide at Henley station en route to Reading, where we’re scheduled to arrive at 10.30am, in time for coffee before exploring the Abbey Quarter. On our tour we’ll discover an enormous lion in a beautiful Victorian park, and the Oscar Wilde Chestnut Walk alongside the walls of Reading Gaol. Our tour ends at Reading Museum where we’ll have time to admire the Bayeux Tapestry before buying lunch locally.
After lunch we board a boat for a two and a quarter hour cruise from Reading through pretty Sonning to Henley. There’s a bar on the boat selling tea and coffee, soft drinks or something stronger if you prefer.
We head home from Henley at 5.30pm.
Date: Friday, 17 May
Departure time/Boarding point:
- · 8.30am High Street, Kingston, opposite the Rose Theatre
- · 8.45am Ewell Road, Surbiton, bus stop: Telephone ExchangePlease arrive 10 minutes earlier than departure time to allow for checking in.Cost: £44.50 per person including coach, guide, river cruise and tips
If you would like to join this outing, please complete the enclosed application form (one for each household or individual) and send it, together with your cheque for £44.50 per person and a stamped, addressed envelope or your email address to:
C aire Bletcher, 17 Lower Green Road, Esher, KT10 8HE. Tel: 020 8398 7107
If you give your email address, all information will be sent by email, including any changes to timings, so please check your inbox regularly.