(no subject)

[tree_and_leaf]

I had an unexpected trip to Reading, for boring and financial reasons, though I must say that the staff in the Reading branch are much politer, helpful and indeed better informed than the Oxford shower.

Reading itself is surprisingly interesting. There are the ruins of an enormous flint-built Clunaic abbey, which has weathered in such a way that it mostly looks like termite mounds, with a curious and well restored Victorian park in the middle of the remains, a preposterously large lion as a memorial to one of the Afghan campaigns, and Reading Gaol (now a young offenders institute) right next door. There are also rather nice walks down by the river Kennet.

All in all, I'm glad my bank business took me there: it's nowhere I would have thought of taking a trip to, but I think I might now go back when I have more time.



Guess what book all these people are reading?





The amazing Swedish Scout powered Big Wheel:



Other things you can do with black canvas: the very impressive Catholic 'church' (where I went to an Anglican communion, cue inevitable jokes about the Church of England's habit of nicking RC churches...)



Tree_and_leaf in a silly hat, standing next to a poster depicting the 0º monument in Ecuador (don't ask; it seemed to make the Ecuadorians happy to take it.)


Finally, I thought I'd post this picture of one of my colleagues with the fake fire we made while sending up the Jamboree organisers' health and safety mania.... simply because the young man in question seems to me to look alarmingly like the Master from that angle. I'm pretty sure he's not Gallifreyan, but that means so little these days...

Comments

[themolesmother.livejournal.com]

It's fascinating to see my former home town through the eyes of an outsider. Those of us who lived in Reading spent most of our time whingeing about its Saturday night drinking culture and the nightmare traffic on the Inner Distribution Road. It is good to be reminded that the town actually does have some rather nice bits.

My former theatre group stages an Open Air Shakespeare in the Abbey Ruins each year (this year's was Midsummer Night's Dream. The Abbey makes a splendid backdrop for the production.

Did you notice that the way the lion statue in the Fobury Gardens is standing is completely wrong? Apparently the sculptor only found out after they'd put it up and nearly died of embarassment.

MM

[itinerantsphinx.livejournal.com]

Those of us who lived in Reading spent most of our time whingeing about its Saturday night drinking culture and the nightmare traffic on the Inner Distribution Road.

And that forever proposed one way system around the whole of the town.

Nice to hear of a group who does use the Abbey for something - it must make for a great backdrop, as you say. It's such a shame that Reading doesn't make more of historical features like these.

[tree_and_leaf]

I rhought the interprative boards scattered around the town were quite good, actually. And I'm baffled by the plaque promising a Harry Potter Day to the children of Reading.

[itinerantsphinx.livejournal.com]

Oh, now I think about it I do remember the boards. But unless one goes there in the first place likelihood is one wouldn't know that these things exist (except WIlde's goal, I suppose - is that a good reason for fame for a town?). And particularly the abbey seems to get mainly rather neglected. Though I used to eat my lunch in Forbury gardens when I was workig there a few years ago, and that was very pleasant. Oh, and the library had a 'great people of Reading' (http://www.readinglibraries.org.uk/services/local/greatpeople.htm) thing a few years back, which was nice. I believe I voted for Hugh Faringdon.

No idea what the town is up to these days though :)

[tree_and_leaf]

Truly Reading is much more interesting than anyone knows, and the tourist board really should get to work.

I wouldn't have thought they get many pilgimages to Reading Gaol (or YOI Reading as I suppose one should call it :) ), but you never know....


I'm just stunned to learn that (a) Rimbaud lived there and (b) that they had a local politician called Lorenzo Quelch, who sounds like a refugee from Trollope (or Dickens).

And yay for William Marshall, flower of chivalry, who built a rather nice priory church in Cartmel (Lake district) hich I'm extremely attached to.

Lorenzo Quelch

[(Anonymous)]

In fact, Quelch is an old Berkshire name, and Lorenzo was part of a family of socialists - his older brother Harry was a national figure in the labour movement, who shared an office with Lenin when the latter was exiled in Britain, and his nephew (Harry's son) was a pamphleteer and British socialist delegate to the Soviet Union in the early 1920s.

Re: Lorenzo Quelch

[tree_and_leaf]

Fascinating - thanks for the information!

[tree_and_leaf]

I think I was too busy boggling at the size of the lion, though it did seem oddly aligned....