Pile, from revetment to the river Kennet at Reading Abbey site, c.1800.
This pile comes from the revetment to the river Kennet on the former site of Reading Abbey. The Abbey 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. The Abbey was dismantled during the dissolution of the monasteries under King Henry VIII. This wooden pile dates to around 1800, when further works on the banks of the river were carried out.