SOME OF Reading’s most historic buildings have welcomed a Royal visitor yesterday.
The Duke of Gloucester visited Reading’s Abbey Quarter as well as a number of the town’s other significant buildings.
He was accompanied by Mr Andrew Try, Lord Lieutenant of the Royal County of Berkshire, and met with the mayor of Reading, Cllr Tony Page, when he arrived in the town on Monday, November 13.
The Duke paid a visit to Reading Museum during the trip to tour the Victorian Schoolroom experience, which shows visitors how education was run during the late 19th Century.
The exhibit features period costumes and artefacts including the Abbey Gateway, which once formed part of the Reading Ladies Boarding School.
They also paid a visit to the Royal Berkshire Archive as part of their 75th anniversary celebrations, which included their recent name change.
The trip concluded with a visit to the Churches in Reading Drop-in Centre, which provides support for those without homes or secure accommodation.
The mayor of Reading, Cllr Tony Page, said: “It was a great honour to welcome HRH Duke of Gloucester to the Abbey Quarter, and showcases over 900 years of our town’s rich heritage, and add yet another chapter to our Abbey’s well-established link with royalty.
“Reading is a town of historic importance; the burial place of King Henry I and the Abbey Gateway once used by Queen Elizabeth I as part of her royal palace and now the home of our Victorian Schoolroom experience providing a fun education place for schoolchildren to learn about the town’s rich history.”
