Public art in ReadingClick on a photo for a large version. |
This is not all the public art in Reading! Just what we found.
The Forbury Lion's official name is the Maiwand Lion, named after the Battle of Maiwand. It was unveiled in December 1886 to commemorate the deaths of 329 men from the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot during the campaign in the Second Anglo-Afghan War in Afghanistan between 1878 and 1880. So it is one of several war memorials in Forbury Gardens.
Memorial to the Reading members of the International Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. In Forbury gardens, on the Abbey side.
This memorial is outside Forbury Gardens, near the Abbey gateway. It is in honour of Trooper Potts, "the hero with a shovel". He used the shovel to drag an injured soldier to safety and treatment. He got the Victoria Cross for this.
This is next to the ruins of Reading Abbey. It is by Jens-Flemming Sørensen, dated 2000. It doesn't have a formal name, but is called Intepretation of Ruins or Balls Head.
There are various plaques inside the ruins commemorating the song "Sumer in icumen in" (written in the abbey), the burial of Henry I, the first Abbot of Reading, and the last Abbot of Reading.
This is the north bank of the Kennet. It is to the west of Biscuit Island.
This is by Lorne Mckean, dated 1984. It is on Kings Road, on what we called Biscuit Island (because the Huntley and Palmer factory used to be here). The statue is near the Back of Beyond pub.
This is by Kevin Atherton, dated 1992. The statue was put up when the factory closed to mark the people of Reading who worked there. It is on Chocolate Island. The name is from The Compleat Angler, a book by Izaak Walton, first published in 1653. It is a celebration of the art and spirit of fishing in prose and verse.
This was designed by Sir John Soane, and was built in 1804. It is in Market Square, near the Town Hall and Reading Museum. There are a few market stalls a couple of days a week.
I'm not sure how official this is, or who did it. It's on the side of a building in Friar Street, near the Town Hall. You can see the Monk's Retreat pub.
St Marys Butts is a road running by the minster, St Marys. It used to be used for archery practise. These paintings are round the base of a lamppost at the end of the road, on a traffic island in the road. The archery target is at the side of the road. It's blurred because I only noticed it while crossing the road! I'm a bit worried about the archers shooting across a bust road.
This is on the pavement at the entrance to the Oracle, between Gun St and Minster St.
This large O was to the south of the river Kennet, in the junction of Bridge Street and Inner Distribtion Road. It is near the Oracle, so presumably something to do with it.
This is part of the paving inside the Oracle.
L'armour or the armoured heart is by Stuart Melrose, 2023. It incorporates reclaimed weapons from knife amnesty bins. It is by the river, in the centre of the Oracle.
Peading Piece is by Peter Sainty, 1982. It is on the south bank of the river Kennet, down river from the High Bridge. I'm not sure whether this is purely abstract or not. Suggestions on the web include "Hints at Reading's industrial past" (which is fair enough), and "Seems to be inspired by the pages of an open book. Hence the pun." I like this, if only because when searching for info about Reading, I got a lot about reading.
This is in Eldon Square Gardens, near Reading hospital. it is by Charles Sargent Jagger. The first Marquess of Reading was Rufus Isaacs. He was a successful man who was the Viceroy of India between 1921-25. This sculpture was originally in India, but after India became independent, they decided they didn't want it, so it ended up in Reading.
This is a copy of the Bayeux tapestry. It's inside (obviously) unlike most of the public art above, but it's in the Reading museum, which free to view. Check opening hours, as it's shut on Sunday and Monday
In the late 19th century, an extremely ambitious project was undertaken by a group of Victorian embroiderers to recreate the Bayeux Tapestry in full, painstakingly reproducing every single detail, stitch-by-stitch, so that the Tapestry's timeless story could be enjoyed by the people of Britain.
Harold seems to have a moustache!
Here is one place where the copy is not entirely accurate. The Victorians disapproved of the naked man, below, on bottom frieze, near the corner. So they put a pair of shorts on him! The embroiderers copied this. Reading museum gives the original, beneath. It refers to some scandal that no-one understands now.
This walk is along the north bank of the kennet, between the abbey ruins and Biscuit Island. I think it used to be called Chestnut Walk, but the chestnuts died. I think they're growing some new ones. Oscar Wilde was in Reading Gaol, for the "crime" of homosexuality, and wrote "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" about it. The gaol runs alongside it. There is a fence with quotes from Oscar Wilde, ending in a gate. Unfortunately we approached it along the river, which meant the quotes were back to front!
This is a genuine Banksy, duly accredited. It is on the Forbury Road, on the wall of Reading Gaol, by the roundabout. Reading are very proud of it! However, it has suffered from graffiti in the past, so has a plastic sheet in front, and a fence. This unfortunately tends to obscure the view, especially as the fence has a notice on.
This obviously references the gaol's most famous resident, Oscar Wilde, for the "crime" of homosexuality. I'm not sure whether the escaper is Wilde himself, but whoever it is has carefully taken his typewriter with him! One thing I noticed when looking at it - Banksy has managed to paint this without being noticed, and it goes right up to the top of the wall - of a gaol!
This is an artwork in the centre of the Whiteknights campus of Reading University. In the background is a map of the campus, not marking where the museums are, and with north not at the top of the map, and not marked where it was.
© Jo Edkins 2024