|
|
- 1. St Laurence, Reading, Berkshire, England
-
-
Parish church St Laurence’s is in the centre of Reading, originally standing beween the W gate of the Abbey and the Hospitium of St John. It now faces Friar St with the Town Hall to the N. It consists of a nave with a N aisle only, a chancel with a N chapel and a 16thc. W tower. Construction is of flint. The original church on the site may have been early 12thc., but according to VCH all that remains standing of this is the S nave wall, the lower part of the tower S wall and a window reset in the SW of the nave. The foundation of the Hospitium of St John in 1196 may have acted as a spur to enlarge the church by demolishing the old tower to extend the nave, and at the same time new N and S doorways were added. The S is still in place, and fragments from the N are set in a blocked arch in the N nave aisle. The N aisle itself and the chancel chapel apparently followed in the 13thc. The N arcade was rebuilt in 1522, and the church was repaired and reseated by Joseph Morris of Reading in 1867-69. Late 12thc. sculpture is found on the S nave doorway and in a blocked arch in the N aisle wall, but more interesting are the carved stones from the Reading Abbey site used to construct what must be called a folly in the churchyard NE of the church (see III.4.(i)).
- 2. Windsor Castle, Moat Gardens, Berkshire, England
-
-
Castle gardens Carved stones from Reading Abbey have been used to construct two decorative features in the Moat Gardens. Further carved stones are placed on walls and shelves or lie on the ground. A total of 35 stones were recorded.
|