Town centre walk
Download the town centre walk leaflet
Length: 2.8 miles (3 km)
Duration: 1 hour
Difficulty: The walking surfaces are a mixture of pavement and shared paths.
Suitability: The walk includes some steps. Not accessible for wheelchairs, pushchairs or scooters.
Start: Reading Town Hall, Belgrave Street RG1 1QH ///spice.space.lobby
End: Reading Museum, Belgrave Street RG1 1QH ///foster.moth.token
Route highlights
This circular walk starts and ends at the Town Hall & Museum, and guides you through areas of historical significance within the town centre.
A. Start outside Reading Town Hall.
B. Walk past St Laurence’s Church towards Forbury Gardens.
C. Go through Forbury Gardens.
D. Pause to view the Abbey Gateway, once the entrance to the private area of Reading Abbey.
E. Walk under the stone bridge into the Abbey Ruins.
F. Exit the ruins onto the path along the River Kennet.
G. See Reading Goal and the Banksy mural, The Great Escape.
H. Return to the River Kennet and head towards Huntley & Palmers.
I. Once you cross Factory Bridge walk towards The Oracle Riverside.
J. Walk through Yield Hall Place and The Oracle.
K. Continue along Minster Street.
L. Take a walk through St. Mary’s Church.
M. Walk towards the Alehouse.
N. End your walk back at the Town Hall.
Places of interest along the Town Centre walking route
Reading Town Hall
Reading Town Hall was designed by Alfred Waterhouse in 1875, a leading 19th-century architect who lived in Reading. The building was built with locally made red and grey bricks with terracotta panels including a clock tower. Behind the Town Hall is an even older building from 1786, known as the Small Town Hall.
Outside the town hall stands the Queen Victoria statue, erected in 1887 to celebrate her golden jubilee.
St Laurence Church
Dating back to the Middle Ages, St Laurence’s Church served both local townspeople and residents of an almshouse located within the abbey grounds. During medieval times, criminals could seek safety by ‘claiming sanctuary at here by asking the priest to call a coroner (a legal official), confessing their crimes to him and swearing to leave the country quickly and never to return.

Reading Abbey ruins
Founded in 1121 by Henry I, Reading Abbey was one of Europe’s largest royal Monasteries. It was intended as a spiritual resting place for the king and his family.
In 1135 Henry I died in Normandy and his body was returned to Reading. He was buried in the front of the alter of the abbey. Reading Abbey became an important destination for medieval pilgrims. When King Henry I decided the abbey would be his resting place, he set about acquiring a large collection of saintly relics. These would attract pilgrims who would venerate the relics and contribute to the economy of the abbey and the town.
Reading Abbey was closed by King Henry VIII along with all other abbeys in England. They was due to Henry leaving the Catholic church to create the new Church of England. Abbeys were not part of this new religion. Find out more History of the Abbey Quarter | Reading Museum
Minster Church of St Mary the Virgin
Reading Minster, also known as St Mary’s church, is Reading’s oldest church. It dates back to the Saxon period and is likely to have been the site of a nunnery. By the 10th century the title ‘Minster’ was used for the most important church in an area, sometimes with pastoral or administrative responsibilities. In 1121 Henry I gave the church and its lands to Reading Abbey.
After Reading Abbey was destroyed, St Mary’s Church regained its status as Reading Minster. The current building includes stones reused from the abbey ruins and today serves as an active Anglican parish church.