An everyday history of Reading

11th August 2026

History is often told through the glamorous lives of the rich and powerful – the kings, queens, prime ministers and wealthy industrialists who helped shape our towns and cities. This year’s Heritage Open Days, however, tells us much more about what life was like for the vast majority of people in centuries gone by, focusing on the everyday lives and histories of local workers and residents.

In Reading, we have over 30 free events as part of the annual festival of heritage and many of these examine the everyday histories of the people who built our town and forged our communities.

What was life like for the monks of Reading Abbey in medieval times? How would you have been treated if you were the gardener on a landed estate in Caversham in times gone by? How did one of the great architects of Victorian times end up living in Reading and what was his local legacy? What was it like to work in Reading’s famed Jackson’s department store in its final years and how does that compare to running Reading’s Oracle shopping centre today? Find out the answers to those and many other questions on a Reading Heritage Open Day event.

You could join a pilgrim walk from Reading Abbey, visit Caversham Court Gardens to delve into the lives of its former gardeners, join a Georgian and Victorian architecture walking tour of the town or visit Alfred Waterhouse’s own home of Foxhill House. Or dress up in Victorian clothes to uncover the stories of the ordinary people buried in Reading Old Cemetery.

Reading has always been a welcoming place for people to come to in order to work, live and build their lives. From pilgrims in the Middle Ages to students in the 20^th century who came for three years and sometimes stayed a lifetime or arrivals from Ukraine as long ago as the 1950s. Join a walk to find out what contributions Reading students made to our local community in the 1980s or visit the Ukrainian Community Centre to find out why Ukrainians first moved to Reading in 1959 and try some of their delicious dishes.  

Our history is chronicled in our buildings, museums and also in the Royal Berkshire Archives. Visit to find out how to use their archives yourself on a behind the scenes tour. Or perhaps you are curious about your own family history? The Family Research Centre can put you on the right track to create your own family tree. Reading Museum is offering the chance to go back in time to Roman Reading and handle items from the Museum’s very own local Roman collection.

One of the beauties of Heritage Open Days is that it allows you to visit buildings that you might walk past every day but have never entered. It could be some of Reading’s great churches such as medieval St Giles or more modern St Luke’s, or the majestic Victorian Concert Hall in the Town Hall. In the latter, you can have a go at playing Reading’s very own Father Willis organ on stage. If you’ve driven west of Reading past Pangbourne but never been to the National Trust’s Basildon Park, then take advantage of their five days of free opening to see what the gorgeous mansion house and 400 acres of grounds and gardens have to offer.

Heritage Open Days runs from 11-20 September across England. Check out Reading’s programme on whatsonreading.com or go to heritageopendays.org