Timeline

Saxon

St Mary’s

St Giles’

St Laurence’s

The Abbey

The Monks Day

The Abbot

Pilgrims

The Grey Friars

Quakers

Baptists

Congregation-alists

Catholic Church

St Mary’s Castle Street

Religion

Reading's first churches date back to the 7th Century when a minster church was probably built in the town. The first recorded religious building was the nunnery founded by Queen Elfrida in 978. This was soon followed by the first St Mary's, which may have been built on the same site.

Two other churches soon followed, St Giles, on the south side of the river to allow churchgoers who could not reach St Mary's due to flooding of the Kennet to attend services, and St Laurence which was built by the Abbey gateway.

It was the Abbey which dominated Reading for 400 years. The building was by the largest in the town, and its influence was felt in every aspect of town life. The Abbot appointed the towns officials and thus ran the town. The town benefitted from selling food and other items to the many pilgrims that flocked to the town. Eventually, King Henry VIII dissolved the abbey.

The English Civil War was a time of religious upheavel. New religious groups, such as the Baptists , Congregationalists and Quakers came to the town, and stayed, building their own churches or Meeting Houses.

Late Georgian and Victorian times saw a great number of new churches started, and many others renovated. Catholics were again able to worship in their own churches.