Caversham Court

Caversham Court is a public garden of about 1.3 hectares, located on the north bank of the River Thames near the centre of Caversham in Reading. It has been owned by Reading Borough Council since 1933. The gardens are included in the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest as a Grade II landscape.

A private garden has been on the site since the 12th century when the rectory of St Peter’s Church was built, and many of its remaining features date from the 17th century. The house (now demolished) and garden were connected with some of Reading’s more distinguished citizens, like the Simonds family, as well as with some of England’s most significant historical events, like the Civil War and the Gunpowder Plot.

The main attraction of the site is that history has preserved a private garden and made it available as an intimate and charming public space in an attractive riverside position. As such, it is unique in Reading, and, indeed, in the Thames Valley.

In 2008, following a successful bid for development funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Public Parks Programme, a £1.6 million project to restore and enhance the gardens got underway. The Gardens reopened to the public on Friday 7 August 2009.

OPENING TIMES

May - September: 08:00 -21:00

October - April: 08:00 - Dusk                                                                                                                                                                                

Downloads

PDF

Some of the following documents are in pdf format. You can download and install a free PDF reader to enable you to read and print them. Click here to download Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Reader from the Adobe website.

File	Type	Size	Download Time
Birds and the Bees - An ecological guide to the gardens	PDF	584 KB	56Kbps Modem: 2 Minutes Broadband : 11 Seconds
Self Guided Tour of the Gardens	PDF	265 KB	56Kbps Modem: 1 Minute Broadband : 5 Seconds
The Griffin's Trail - A garden walk for younger children	PDF	98 KB	56Kbps Modem: 25 Seconds Broadband : 2 Seconds
The Caversham Tree Trail	PDF	45 KB	56Kbps Modem: 11 Seconds Broadband : 1 Second
The Detective Trail - A garden walk for children	PDF	148 KB	56Kbps Modem: 37 Seconds Broadband : 3 Seconds
Caversham Court Management and Maintenance Plan	PDF	1,692 KB	56Kbps Modem: 7 Minutes Broadband : 34 Seconds
Restoration Project Update February 2009	PDF	14 KB	56Kbps Modem: 3 Seconds Broadband : 1 Second

External Links

Reading Borough Council does not necessarily endorse or recommend any of the links or services below. Please note: when you follow these links you will leave this site.

Link	Description
Friends of Caversham Court Gardens	Information on the Friends of Caversham Court Gardens group, and regular updates on Caversham Court Gardens