The Abbey and the Castle: Reading in the Middle Ages or What did Reading Abbey ever do for us? 

Worked around two symbolic buildings, this introduction to mediaeval Reading looks at the growth of the town, and its relationship to the Crown and the Church from Domesday Book to Henry VIII. 

The presenter is local historian Mike Cooper, who has had a lifelong interest in history, especially local history, and has had three books on the history of Reading published. Following a history degree at the University of Reading, he worked as a librarian with both the University and Reading Library, and lives locally. 

 Mike is a speaker for the Berkshire Local History Association (BLHA), which was founded to encourage interest in local history in the county. It provides a common meeting-ground for individual members, the various local history societies and groups within the county as well as the professionals working in archives, museums, and education. 

Free entry, non-members welcome, doors open 13.30.

Picture: By Chris Wood (User:chris_j_wood). - Photograph taken by chris_j_wood on the 9th February 2005, with original filename DCP_3628.jpg. Cross-loaded from wikipedia-en., CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1882817