Did you know that Reading had a connection to Jane Austen? I had to change the title in case readers mistook "Reading" for the verb rather than the name of the town! In case you didn't know, the town of Reading is pronounced as "re-ding" rather than "reading".
You may have read my blog about Abbey School from my first visit to Reading where I wrote about Jane's school experience here. From 1785-1786, for a short duration of 18 months, Jane Austen went to school in Reading, and her brief stint at school took place in the Abbey Gateway.
The Abbey Gateway is the former entrance into Reading Abbey, which was one of the largest, most significant monasteries in Europe in medieval times but now stands in ruins.
Georgian buildings near the Abbey ruins. 
The gateway was actually built in the medieval times to divide the monk's living quarters from the more public areas of the abbey, but the current building dates back to Tudor times. Jane is the most famous alumnus from this school, and I believe that Jane's experience of living so close to a gothic abbey sparked her imagination in her future writing, Northanger Abbey in particular.
I visited the Abbey Gateway for a children's event with my children back in 2018, and it was so interesting to see the interiors of the Gateway where Jane's classroom was located. This year, marking Jane Austen 250, you can visit the classroom on certain days and see for yourself where Jane Austen went to school.
Forbury Gardens with the Victorian Schoolhouse in the middle next to the Abbey ruins. Reading Gaol was behind the schoolhouse. The gateway is located opposite Forbury Gardens, which had been used as a "forbury" (i.e. borough in front) or an open land between the abbey and the town, and this open land was used for fairs for centuries, including when Jane Austen was here. The gardens now offer a gorgeous respite from the urban areas and a lovely place to stroll around.
Between the abbey and the gardens, there is a Victorian building, Reading Gaol. This is where Oscar Wilde was famously imprisoned 1895-1897 for homosexual offences and where he wrote the poem, "Reading Gaol".
Jane would also have been familiar with St Laurence's Church, which was situated on the same road, past Forbury Gardens. This church was also built in the Norman times but has been rebuilt in the 15th and 19th Centuries. St Laurence's Church was one of the original three churches serving the Reading borough from the medieval times, but had a larger significance due to its close location to the abbey, which stimulated trade in the area.
Reading marketplace in front of the church was established by the abbey monks and was used for markets for hundreds of years and, as you can see, is still used today.
Jane Austen would have been familiar with this marketplace, but she wouldn't have seen the Simeon monument in the middle of the marketplace, which was built a couple of decades later, in 1804. This monument was funded by Edward Simeon, director of the Bank of England, and created by none other than Sir John Soane, who designed the stunning Bank of England building in London.
The stunning George Hotel on King's Street always catches my eye when I visit Reading. George Hotel was one of the busiest coaching inns between London and the West Country during Georgian times, and a few decades later Charles Dickens stayed here during his public reading tours. Reading in Reading, what a delightful thought indeed!
Are you aware of any other buildings in Reading that might have been there during Jane Austen's times? Do share in the comments if you know more!
Further reading in my blog:
My first peek of the Abbey Gateway: https://austenised.blogspot.com/2010/08/peek-of-abbey-school.html
My visit to the Gateway and Jane Austen's classroom: https://austenised.blogspot.com/2018/06/inside-jane-austens-school.html
My visit to Reading Abbey: https://austenised.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-abbey-that-sparked-young-jane.html
To visit the Abbey Gateway, click here: https://www.visit-reading.com/whats-on/jane-austen-in-reading/visit-jane-austens-schoolroom
