Reading Heritage Open Days

About

Heritage Open Days is an annual national event celebrating our buildings, natural and cultural heritage. 

 

Reading's Heritage Open Days 2021 diverse offer includes free in-person and digital events to showcase the rich stories that make Reading such a unique place to live, work and visit and events cover 10 days.

 

This year the optional theme is Edible England and a number of Reading’s events will tell the story of our local culinary heritage. All Heritage Open Days events are free to attend, but some need booking in advance due to small capacities. 

Tasty offerings in Reading include getting creative with fruit and veg at Brock Keep, tours of the historic kitchen gardens at Caversham Court Gardens, the history of breweries in Reading tour, exploring food in Ancient Greece online with the Ure Museum, Edible Reading talks and object handling at Reading Museum or the roof top food garden at RISC.

Other events taking place as part of Heritage Open Days in Reading include open churches and historic office buildings not usually open to the public, talks on building conservation, audio tours of London Street and guided tours of Oxford Road, history walks of Woodley, walk exploring Reading’s heritage trees and an art exhibition inspired by Readings last gasometer.

Plan a day out in Reading and combine attending an event with a boat trip on the River Thames with Thames Rivercruise from Caversham Bridge.

A selection of Reading Heritage Open Days 2021 events is shown below but go to What's On Reading for the full list.

• Sat 11 Sep, 0930 – 1630. 17 Castle Street Reading [In Person] - 16th century house used as an inn, doctor’s residence and surgery. Once owned by a Reading Mayor, who promoted the bill to lay the paving slabs in Reading - the first one was laid outside this building in 1785. The building has been used as a solicitors practice since 1971. Original items retained include diamond chimneys, coach and horse mounting block, shoe carving on the beam timbers. Access to areas not normally open to the public during the working day. Rowberry Morris & Co, 17 Castle Street, RG1 7SB
• Thurs 16 Sep, 10:30 & 14:30, Fri 17 Sep 14:30 . A walk around Reading town centre’s brewing heritage - H & G Simonds Brewery (later Courage) dominated the town centre from the 1830s until the 1970s and became Reading's largest brewery. The brewing heritage of the town is however much more than Simonds and in this walk we will explore the locations and reminders of some of the other breweries and brewers too. Pre-booking required.
• Sat 11 Sep, 10:00 and 11:00. Reading Museum - Object Handling Talk: Food Through the Ages (in person/Edible) - A 20-minute talk delivered by our enthusiastic team and an excellent opportunity to handle real objects from our collection to explore the importance of food through history, from Roman Britain to Huntley and Palmers biscuits. All ages. Blagrave St, Reading RG1 1QH Booking essential.
• Thu 16 Sep, 9:30 & Sat 18 Sep, 9:30. Terry's Edible Reading Walkabout -  Guided walk telling the story of the food Reading from pre-Victorian Times to the present. Featuring famous and the not so famous, products & manufacturers, unique restaurants & cafes, plus fascinating facts you may not of heard of! Donation to local charities accepted.
• Sat 18 Sep, 12.00-16.00 (bookable timeslots from 12.00-14.00 & 14.00-16.00). The Commons Feast, Museum of English Rural Life [In Person/Edible] - The Commons Feast is a pot-luck style gathering focussed on the sharing of ideas around local, seasonal, wild, and foraged fare. On the day, the Commons project will provide free bread made locally using Levande Arkivet (a collection of over 80 sourdough cultures gifted by bakers around the world).   We need you, The MERL’s communities, to bring your recipes to swap and share. With your permission we will then copy and share these texts on the day. This feast will serve as a chance to consider how we nourish ourselves, our families, our communities, and our environment.  The event will also include workshops, demonstrations and family activities. Curated by Amanda Couch and Josefin Vargö. Funded by Arts Council England. Museum of English Rural Life Garden, Redlands Road, RG1 5EX. Booking essential.