12 High Bridge Wharf

11 High Bridge

Where Debenhams now stands once stood Reading's Gild Hall, or Yield Hall. The Merchants Gild were responsible for running the markets of the town. They represented the clothiers and the other cloth workers. They often argued about who made the decisions with the abbot of Reading Abbey. The Gild met in the Yield Hall next to the Kennet from 1420 to 1563, before moving to the abandoned GreyFriars church in Friars Street. The reason for their change of building was not due to their rival, the abbot, but to the noise of the women washing there clothes in the river, which interrupted their discussions. After the Yield had left the site, it became pigsties and was eventually knocked down in 1920.

Just downstream is High Bridge. This is now the oldest bridge over the Kennet, all of the bridges in Bridge Street having been replaced. Even so, this is not the first bridge on this site. High Bridge was built of Portland Stone in 1787. It was always difficult for boats to pass, as by the Yield Hall the main channel of the Kennet turned sharply southwards while a smaller channel flowing down by the side of the Yield Hall before entering the Kennet. Even today this section can be very fast running and difficult for those on boats to navigate.

High Bridge dates from the same time as horse drawn coaches became the main way for people to travel between towns. Since it was on a crossroads, Reading became an important point for coaches to stop or to change horses. This was carried out at special coaching Inns in the town. These were the places to go to if you wanted to catch a coach for another town.