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List of public art in Reading, Berkshire

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This is a list of public art in the English town of Reading. This list applies only to works of art accessible in an outdoor public space. For example, this does not include artwork visible inside a museum.


Image Title / subject Location and
coordinates 		Date Artist / designer Type Material Dimensions Designation Notes

More images 		Abbey Gateway Heads Abbey Gateway

51°27′23.2″N 0°58′00.5″W / 51.456444°N 0.966806°W / 51.456444; -0.966806 		1900 Andrew Ohlson Sculpture Stone A series of heads, attached to the medieval former inner gateway of Reading Abbey.[1][2]

More images 		l'Armour, or the Armoured Heart The Oracle Riverside

51°27′12.38″N 0°58′12.83″W / 51.4534389°N 0.9702306°W / 51.4534389; -0.9702306 		2023 Stuart Melrose Sculpture Metal
Sculpture constructed by the Reading Amnesty Art Project and incorporating reclaimed weapons from knife amnesty bins.

More images 		Balls Head / Interpretation of Ruins Reading Abbey

51°27′21″N 0°57′55″W / 51.455920°N 0.965399°W / 51.455920; -0.965399 		2000 Jens-Flemming Sørensen Sculpture Bronze A sculpture based on an interpretation of the adjacent ruins of the abbey. It has no formal name, but is sometimes referred to as either the Balls Head or the Interpretation of Ruins.[3]

More images 		Black History Mural Mill Lane

51°27′10″N 0°58′08″W / 51.4528°N 0.969°W / 51.4528; -0.969 		1988 Alan Howard with members of Reading Central Club Mural Mural illustrating the roles black people have played throughout history.[4]

More images 		Cartwheeling Boys Civic Centre

51°27′12″N 0°58′34″W / 51.45339°N 0.976029°W / 51.45339; -0.976029 		Brian Slack Sculpture Erected to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the link between Reading and Düsseldorf established by Phoebe Cusden in 1947.[5] It was toppled by Storm Eunice on 18 February 2022.[6]

More images 		Caversham Village Sign Caversham

51°28′03″N 0°58′29″W / 51.467565°N 0.974626°W / 51.467565; -0.974626 		Stuart King Village sign Erected in 2003 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II and repaired and conserved by the original artist in 2019.[7]

More images 		Caversham War Memorial Christchurch Meadows, Caversham

51°27′55″N 0°58′32″W / 51.465362°N 0.97543°W / 51.465362; -0.97543 		1928 Memorial column Stone Commemorates the dead of Caversham in the First World War, Second World War and war in Afghanistan.[8][9]

More images 		Central Piazza Water Feature Kennet Island

51°25′51″N 0°58′32″W / 51.430908°N 0.975615°W / 51.430908; -0.975615 		Fountain

More images 		Compleat Angler Chocolate Island in River Kennet

51°27′22″N 0°57′41″W / 51.455999°N 0.961520°W / 51.455999; -0.961520 		1992 Kevin Atherton Statue Statue of an angler placed on Chocolate Island in the River Kennet, where that river once flowed through the Huntley & Palmers factory. The statue was erected when the factory closed to commemorate the people of Reading who worked there.[5]

More images 		Cows Regent Court

51°27′31″N 0°58′41″W / 51.458554°N 0.977980°W / 51.458554; -0.977980 		Mural Mural of cows situated close to the Reading Cattle Market.

More images 		Edward VII Station Square

51°27′28″N 0°58′21″W / 51.45773°N 0.9724°W / 51.45773; -0.9724 		1902 George Edward Wade Statue Bronze Grade II Celebrates the coronation of King Edward VII.[10]

More images 		Escaping convict on Reading Gaol Reading Gaol

51°27′24″N 0°57′49″W / 51.456710°N 0.963530°W / 51.456710; -0.963530 		2021 Banksy Graffiti Paint on brickwork The mural of an escaping prisoner - possibly resembling famous inmate Oscar Wilde - appeared on the walls of the disused Reading jail on Monday 01 March 2021. Reading prison famously housed Irish writer Wilde between 1895 and 1897 and was immortalised by his poem Ballad of Reading Gaol, which reflected on the brutality of the Victorian penal system.

More images 		Frederick Potts Memorial The Forbury

51°27′24″N 0°58′02″W / 51.456552°N 0.967194°W / 51.456552; -0.967194 		2015 Tom Murphy Memorial
Sculpture		 Bronze Commemorates and depicts the rescue of Trooper Arthur Andrews by Trooper Frederick Potts, both men having been wounded during the Gallipoli campaign of World War I, and for which Potts was awarded the Victoria Cross. Adjacent is a roll of honour to the 426 men of the Berkshire Yeomanry, the regiment to which both Potts and Andrews belonged, who lost their lives in the wars of the 20th Century. Both are mounted on plinths faced in Portland stone.[11]

More images 		Gateway Reading International Business Park

51°24′58″N 0°58′26″W / 51.416°N 0.974°W / 51.416; -0.974 		2000 Clare Bigger Sculpture At the entrance to the Reading International Business Park.[12]

More images 		George Palmer Palmer Park

51°27′07″N 0°56′19″W / 51.451946°N 0.938628°W / 51.451946; -0.938628 		1891 George Blackall Simonds Statue Bronze Grade II Commemorates George Palmer, the founder of the biscuit manufacturers Huntley & Palmers. Originally sited in Broad Street, but relocated to Palmer Park in 1930.[13]

More images 		Girl and Swan Kings Road

51°27′17″N 0°57′53″W / 51.4548°N 0.9647°W / 51.4548; -0.9647 		1984 Lorne McKean Statue Bronze Depicts a young girl reaching up to touch a swan flying overhead.[14]
Hexham Road Tree Community Centre, Hexham Road

51°26′15″N 0°57′33″W / 51.437429°N 0.959145°W / 51.437429; -0.959145 		1998 Bhajan Hunjan Three dimensional mural on the wall of Hexham Road Community Centre.[5]

More images 		Hugh de Boves and Hugh of Faringdon Memorials Reading Abbey

51°27′23″N 0°57′54″W / 51.456363°N 0.964878°W / 51.456363; -0.964878 		1911 William Silver Frith Relief Limestone Two stone reliefs, showing the first and the last abbot of Reading Abbey and flanking the east end of the ruined chapter house of the abbey.[15][16]

More images 		Inner Light Kings Road

51°27′21″N 0°57′42″W / 51.455736°N 0.961695°W / 51.455736; -0.961695 		1992 Liliane Lijn Sculpture Overlooks the River Kennet behind the offices of Prudential in Kings Road, Reading[5]

More images 		International Brigade Memorial Forbury Gardens

51°27′25″N 0°57′57″W / 51.456816°N 0.965834°W / 51.456816; -0.965834 		1990 Eric Stanford Memorial
Statue		 Memorial to the Reading members of the International Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. Originally sited at Reading Civic Centre but relocated to Forbury Gardens in 2015.[17]

More images 		Jubilee Fountain St Mary's Butts

51°27′15″N 0°58′27″W / 51.454233°N 0.974229°W / 51.454233; -0.974229 		1887 George W Webb Fountain Stone Commemorates Queen Victoria's golden jubilee. In Red Mansfield and Portland stone and Peterhead granite. The fountain bowl has been converted into a flower display.[18]

More images 		Maiwand Lion Forbury Gardens

51°27′25″N 0°58′03″W / 51.456952°N 0.967481°W / 51.456952; -0.967481 		1884 George Blackall Simonds Memorial
Sculpture		 Cast iron Grade II Commemorates the Battle of Maiwand in 1880.

More images 		Meteor Garden Harris Garden, University of Reading

51°26′08″N 0°56′27″W / 51.435653°N 0.940898°W / 51.435653; -0.940898 		2015 Sculpture Sponsored by the Friends of the Harris Garden and designed by their volunteers.

More images 		Oscar Wilde Memorial Chestnut Walk

51°27′21″N 0°57′49″W / 51.455805°N 0.963573°W / 51.455805; -0.963573 		2000 Bruce Williams
and
Paul Muldoon 		Memorial Memorial to Oscar Wilde, who was imprisoned in the adjacent Reading Gaol and wrote the Ballad of Reading Gaol. Comprises metal gates, fencing and seats all with cultural references to Wilde.[19]

More images 		Queen Victoria Town Hall Square

51°27′24″N 0°58′13″W / 51.456551°N 0.970177°W / 51.456551; -0.970177 		George Blackall Simonds Statue Marble Grade II Celebrates the Jubilee of Queen Victoria.[20]

More images 		Reading Cenotaph Forbury Gardens

51°27′24″N 0°58′05″W / 51.456547°N 0.968046°W / 51.456547; -0.968046 		1932 Edward Leslie Gunston Memorial column Stone Commemorates the dead of Reading and Berkshire in the First World War.[21]

More images 		Robed Figure Reading Abbey

51°27′22″N 0°57′56″W / 51.456197°N 0.965418°W / 51.456197; -0.965418 		1988 Elisabeth Frink Statue A near-duplicate of the central of the central figure from Elisabeth Frink's work Martyrs of Dorchester.[22]

More images 		Rufus Isaacs Eldon Square

51°27′28″N 0°58′21″W / 51.45773°N 0.9724°W / 51.45773; -0.9724 		Charles Sargeant Jagger Statue Commemorates Rufus Isaacs, who held the roles of Attorney General, Lord Chief Justice and Viceroy of India, and was the first Marquess of Reading. The statue was originally sited in New Delhi but was offered as a gift to Reading after India achieved its independence in 1947. It was relocated to its current location in 1971.[5][23]

More images 		Rustic Fountain Forbury Gardens

51°25′51″N 0°58′32″W / 51.430908°N 0.975615°W / 51.430908; -0.975615 		1856 Fountain A rustic fountain in a pond, by an unknown artist but believed to date from 1856 when the town's Forbury was first laid out as 'pleasure gardens'.[22]

More images 		Simeon Monument Market Place

51°27′20″N 0°58′10″W / 51.45561°N 0.9695°W / 51.45561; -0.9695 		1804 John Soane Portland stone 25 feet (7.6 m) in height Also known as the Soane Obelisk, the Soane Monument and the Simeon Obelisk. Commissioned in his lifetime by Edward Simeon and with a triangular cross-section, it is technically neither a monument nor an obelisk, despite often being called both.

More images 		Space Between Forbury Road

51°27′27″N 0°57′58″W / 51.457584°N 0.966101°W / 51.457584; -0.966101 		Simon Hitchens Sculpture Granite 5 metres (16 ft) in height Twin helical blocks of granite, carved from Chinese granite, situated outside new office blocks on Forbury Road opposite Forbury Gardens.[24]

More images 		Sumer Is Icumen In Reading Abbey

51°27′23″N 0°57′54″W / 51.456404°N 0.965089°W / 51.456404; -0.965089 		Relief Limestone Stone relief commemorating the composition of the early English song Sumer Is Icumen In at Reading Abbey in the 13th century.[25][26]

More images 		University of Reading War Memorial London Road Campus of the University of Reading

51°27′01.6″N 00°57′40.3″W / 51.450444°N 0.961194°W / 51.450444; -0.961194 		1924 Herbert Maryon Clock tower Brick 60 feet (18 m) in height

More images 		131 greetings Welcome to Reading Brunel Arcade, Reading railway station

51°27′29.8″N 0°58′17.4″W / 51.458278°N 0.971500°W / 51.458278; -0.971500 		2023 Haya Sheffer Mural The mural presents the greeting Welcome to Reading in 131 different languages.[27]


References

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  1. ^ "Abbey Gateway Heads" (PDF). Potts VC Memorial Site. Potts VC Trust. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  2. ^ "Abbey Gateway Heads". Statues - Hither & Thither. René & Peter van der Krogt. Archived from the original on 2 March 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Interpretation of Ruins" (PDF). The Potts VC Trust. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018..
  4. ^ "Reading Mural Black History". University of Nottingham. Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e Fort, Hugh (3 November 2015). "Reading's artworks: What they are, who made them and what they represent". getreading.co.uk. Trinity Mirror Southern. Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  6. ^ "Storm Eunice: Man killed and two seriously injured". BBC News. 18 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  7. ^ "The Caversham Village Sign" (PDF). Caversham and District Residents Association. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Caversham War Memerial". Historic England. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  9. ^ "Caversham War Memerial". Imperial War Museum. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  10. ^ "The Statue of Edward Vii". BritishListedBuildings.co.uk. Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  11. ^ "Potts VC Memorial Site". The Potts VC Trust. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  12. ^ "Gateway" (PDF). The Potts VC Trust. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018..
  13. ^ "Statue of George Palmer". BritishListedBuildings.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 November 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  14. ^ "Girl and The Swan" (PDF). The Potts VC Trust. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018..
  15. ^ "Hugh de Boves and Hugh of Faringdon Memorials". Statues - Hither & Thither. René & Peter van der Krogt. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  16. ^ "Plaque to Hugh de Boves". Berkshire Sculpture Park. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  17. ^ "Rededication of Reading memorial". International Brigade Memorial Trust. Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  18. ^ "Jubilee Fountain" (PDF). The Potts VC Trust. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 December 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  19. ^ "Oscar Wilde" (PDF). The Potts VC Trust. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  20. ^ "Queen Victoria Jubilee Statue". BritishListedBuildings.co.uk. Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  21. ^ "Men of Reading and Berkshire". Imperial War Museum. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  22. ^ a b Fort, Hugh (9 November 2015). "Reading's statues: Part two of what the town's artwork represents and who they are". getreading.co.uk. Trinity Mirror Southern. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  23. ^ "Lord Reading, Rufus Isaacs". Reading Borough Council. Archived from the original on 13 December 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  24. ^ "Chinese Granite for Reading". Simon Hitchens. Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  25. ^ Hilts, Carly (19 July 2018). "Review – Reading Abbey revealed". Current Archaeology. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  26. ^ ""Sumer is icumen in"". Berkshire Sculpture Park. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  27. ^ Clothier, Jake (16 January 2023). "GWR, Network Rail, and Samaritans join forces to bust "blue Monday" myth". RDG.TODAY. Archived from the original on 18 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
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