Pile, and facing board, from Reading Abbey Waterfront, c.1410.
These are parts from Reading Abbey, which was built in the 12th century by King Henry I to honour his father, William the Conqueror. It was, for a time, one of the largest abbeys in Europe which doubled as an early inland port on the River Kennet. It was built intentionally next to the River Kennet to provide the Abbey with wharves and water mills for power. When King Henry I died, he was interned below the alter of the abbey, becoming an important site of pilgramage and as a location for royal visitation and meetings. The abbey was dismantled during the dissolution of the monasteries under King Henry VIII.
Details
- Category:
- Civil Engineering
- Object Number:
- 1988-817
- Measurements:
-
overall: 180 mm x 2550 mm x 1330 mm,
- type:
- board
- credit:
- Reading Borough Council