You've Found the Abbey Wharf

You've Found the Abbey Wharf. Abbey Quarter. To your right the Holy Brook flows into the River Kennet. The stretch of bank where they join was once the abbey's wharf., Stone to build the abbey was unloaded here, as were important supplies like firewood and wine. All boats heading up to the abbey wharf or town wharf had to pass the abbey's lock (now named Blake's Lock), and had to pay a fee to go through. The fee was highly unpopular with local traders., King's landing , When Henry I founded Reading Abbey he planned to be buried here. But when he died in December 1135 he was in France. His body was preserved and shipped back to England. The body finally reached Reading more than a month later and was almost certainly brought to this wharf. Henry was buried on 3 January 1136., In medieval times, wealthy people ate a lot of meat. But on Fridays the church said you weren't allowed meat, so they had fish instead. Some monasteries kept fish in ponds, but at Reading the monks probably bought river fish from local fishermen, or ate dried or salted sea fish that was brought up the river by boat., Timeline , 1121 - Henry I founds Reading Abbey , 1164 - Henry II attends official opening of Reading Abbey , 1254 - Reading receives royal charter from Henry III , 1453 - Parliament meets at Reading Abbey , 1539 - Henry VIII closes Reading Abbey. Abbot Hugh is executed , 1560 - Elizabeth grants a new town charter , 1643 - Abbey church is severely damaged in Civil War , 1833 - People of Reading fundraise to buy Abbey Ruins , 1840 - St James Church opens in former abbey grounds , 1861 - Abbey Gateway is restored by George Gilbert Scott , 1920 - Reading Pageant in Abbey Ruins , 2018 - Abbey Ruins re-open after major conservation works