Reading Museum

Merchant's Place forge in 1981 and 2026 in the Reading Then and Now exhibition at Reading Museum

The historic forge, now home to Shed café, features in our new 'Reading Then & Now' exhibition featuring over 70 historic town centre paintings and drawings juxtaposed with photographs of the same views taken this year.
Open now in the art gallery

www.readingmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/reading-then-now

Black and white photograph showing an older man with a pipe, hat, short sleeves shirt and protective trousers working in a forge with a fire to his left. From Reading Museum's Collection.

This 1955 photo shows blacksmith George Tibbetts in his Merchant's Place forge, off Friar Street, Reading

His family were smiths for generations, and the workshop itself dated back to the late 1500s. His son Tony was preparing to continue the family tradition

📸 Reading Museum, Chronicle Collection

Black and white archive photo of the lion in Forbury Gardens.

Coming up tomorrow at @readingmuseum.bsky.social, author Robert Clarke will be introducing his latest book, "Reading’s Colossal Lion", tracing the continuing story of the world’s largest cast-iron lion – the Forbury Gardens’ dominant feature for 140 years.
whatsonreading.com/venues/readi...

Reading What's On awards 2026 logo with text 'We've been shortlisted'

Our exhibition Reading’s Digital Revolution has been shortlisted for @rdgwhatson.bsky.social Event of the Year! 🎉

This one’s down to the public vote - and we’d love your support

💛 Vote here buff.ly/eoL6ovZ

Thanks for celebrating Reading’s tech heritage with us

@friendsofrdgmus.bsky.social

The history of Jackson's of Reading is rich in equestrian imagery – take a look at these 19th century illustrations and stunning scale models capturing the store in its Edwardian heyday.

Special display on now until 28 March.

#scalemodels #modelhorse #diorama #yearofthehorse #ReadingUK #rdg

Reading Museum Goes Green, Saturday 21 March: tree lined path in McIlroy Park, Reading

On Saturday 21 March Reading Museum Goes Green!

Come find out about visiting, exploring, enjoying and caring for local green spaces 🍃

With Keep Reading Tidy, Wild About Reading, Jenny's Bees, Econet and Reading Tree Wardens 🌳🐝🐞

#RDG #ReadingMuseum

Oil painting showing a young girl in a cluttered, messy kitchen, reaching up to bring a large bowl of eggs down from a shelf. From Reading Museum's collection.

Today's @artukdotorg.bsky.social #OnlineArtExchange theme is 'art that explores home'🏡

Here, local artist Mark Symons captured an everyday moment in domestic life in 'Molly in the Pantry', painted in 1931, one in a series of paintings of his adopted daughters.

🔎 (c) The Artist and Reading Museum

Trees in blossom in Reading

Tree in blossom in Reading

Spring is here and blossom is starting to appear across our town 🌸🌳

So why not find out more about Reading's historic trees on a free tour of the town centre on 21st March, book your free place now 📆
www.readingmuseum.org.uk/reading-town-centre-historical-tree-walk

A medal graphic with the What's On Reading Awards logo, along with the words "What was the best event #inrdg last year? Cast your vote now"

Since we announced the shortlists for our awards yesterday, we've had over 100 votes for "Event Of The Year"!

From festivals to festive faves, community events to cultural celebrations, it's a hotly contested category again this year.

Have you cast your vote yet?
buff.ly/eoL6ovZ

Poster advertising the newest exhibition. It shows a photograph of 5 smiling women in religious clothing. The tag-line is "How one institution helped women transform their lives.". It also states "24 March to 26 June 2026, Tuesday to Thursday 9am to 5pm, Fridays 9am to 4:30pm". The logo for the Royal Berkshire Archives is on the bottom.

We are one month away from opening our newest exhibition! "Fallen: The Clewer House of Mercy 1848-1954" opens on March 24 2026, and we couldn't be more excited for you to see it. #Exhibition #Fallen

Ludus latrunculorum, you say? Archaeologist Tim Penn from @uniofreading.bsky.social gives some background on this popular Roman game, whose name means the Game of the Little Soldiers.

Come see our example, on display in the Silchester Gallery!

#romangames #ancientgames #archaeology #rdg

What's on Reading awards 2026 logo with text 'We've been shortlisted'

Exciting news! 🎉
We've been shortlisted in the What’s On Reading Awards 2026 not just once, but twice!
We’re finalists for:
🏆 Event of the Year
🏆 The Diversity Award

The Event of the Year is decided by a public vote at rdguk.info/QaC31 (closes midnight on 22 Mar)

Thank you and wish us luck!

a sticker that says go vote with a statue of an emmy award ALT: a sticker that says go vote with a statue of an emmy award

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 (pt 2)
GLOW Lantern Parade
PACT's Reading's Big Quiz
Reading Children's Festival
Reading Water Fest
Reading’s Digital Revolution (Reading Museum)

Event of the year is open to the public vote - vote now via wordg.tiny.us/eoty26 (Voting closes at midnight on Sunday 22 March)
7/

a man holding a trophy with the words " you deserve a trophy " behind him ALT: a man holding a trophy with the words " you deserve a trophy " behind him

𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝
Becoming Mums - Creative Motherhood Project
Reading Bike Hub
Whitley Carnival

𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝
Reading Museum/Kala The Arts - The Art of Dance from the Indian Subcontinent
Rising Sun Arts Centre
Thomson Chauke
3/

What's On Reading Awards logo

Your What's On Reading Awards finalists are here!

We had over 250 nominations this year, and our judging panel has been hard at work narrowing that down to an impressive shortlist of finalists.

And the nominees are...
1/

Bayeux Tapestry Tours What: Enjoy a guided tour of the famous full-size facsimile Tapestry with one of our gallery team. If you are coming as a group please call the Education team on 0118 937 3400 as we may need to arrang...

We are excited to announce that due to the popularity of our Bayeux Tapestry tours, we will be introducing an extra tour at 2.30pm on a Tuesday.

Book your tour here 📆
www.readingmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/bayeux-tapestry-tours

Games Day: Adventures & Artefacts! - D&D What: Dungeons and Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game that lets you embark on adventures with your fellow players, guided by a Dungeon Master who acts as the game's referee and storyteller. Ever w...

Last minute - a few tickets have become available for the DnD game this Saturday 28 February, as part of Games Day!

Beginners or experienced players are welcome. Grab your ticket before they're gone!

www.readingmuseum.org.uk/games-day-ad...

black and white photo of the interior of a shop with goods behind the counter and a shopkeeper serving a woman, Reading Museum Collection

black and white photo of women crowded around a table in the clothes section of a department store. Reading Museum Collection

black and white photo from a high perspective showing crowds of people inside a department store with a sign saying 'clearance bargains here'. Reading Museum Collection

Take a peek inside these local Reading shops through the decades:
🖼️ Hawkes Ironmongers, High Street, 1945
🖼️ Heelas (now John Lewis), Broad street, Jan sales, 1956
🖼️ Reading department store, Jan sales, 1963

The final store isn't identified in our records - so if you recognise it, let us know!

an abstract contemporary painting with a dark background and striking red and yellow movements in the centre.

Today's @artukdotorg.bsky.social #OnlineArtExchange theme 'renewal' instantly brought to mind this stunning painting by Kenneth Rowell, Burning Phoenix🔥

For four years, it was displayed in Reading Civic Centre's Deputy Leaders office.

🏛️1959
🎨oil and gouache
🔎(c) the artist and Reading Museum

a black and white image of a maskot dog. courtesy of the Riffles Regimental Museum

Meet Bobbie, mascot of the Berkshires (allegedly) the sole survivor of the Last Stand. To find out more about his story, and many others, come along to our talk on Saturday 7 March: www.readingmuseum.org.uk/reading-past...
Image courtesy of The Rifles Regimental Museum
#RDG #RDGUK #ReadingThenandNow

Black and white image of an archaeological trench with three men standing in it, from Reading Museum's collection

Did you know Windsor had a royal palace before Windsor Castle? Brian Hope Taylor's 1950s excavation first uncovered the Saxon Palace at Kingsbury.

Roland Smith’s guest blog shares how the Unlocking Old Windsor project re‑examines the finds decades later:

🔗 www.readingmuseum.org.uk/blog/unlocki...

Inspired by the first (I think) replica of the Bayeux Tapestry in my own home town of Reading at @readingmuseum.bsky.social

Thank you to to Elizabeth Wardle and her 35 friends who made this copy in 1885-6.

Sponsored by Bayer and Norman Insurance. Inspired!

Colourful dice on Dungeons and Dragons maps

Noble Adventurers, Games Day is just a few days away!

On Saturday 28th February, drop in to Reading Museum to play, create, and learn about games from the Roman era to today.

All players welcome, just bring your curiosity and creativity!

www.readingmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/gam...

Photograph showing a bronze weight shaped like the bust of Bacchus, a figure with a garland on their head, as well as a ring for the weight to be used, and bare chest other than a strap or rope going over one shoulder. From Reading Museum's Collection

February is #LGBTplusHM26! 🌈 Explore Reading Museum objects with LGBTQ+ connections - rdguk.info/LGBTQ__Colle... - created by volunteers from the Untold Histories project.

Today’s #FridayFind: a Roman Silchester steelyard weight of Bacchus who challenged societal + gender boundaries

🍇1995.4.21

Calling all DnD players! On Sat 28 Feb, come to Games Day to create your own magic items! We'll have our toolkit to guide you through homebrewing museum items that inspire you! Resources: www.readingmuseum.org.uk/museums-marv...
#ReadingUK #boardgames #TabletopGaming #DnD #TTRPG #ttrpgCommunity

Bayeux Tapestry Mug - On Sale! These fabulous bone china mugs all feature iconic scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry. Reduced from £12.99 to £10.99! And if you've visited our full-size Victorian replica at the Museum, you can be remind...

Psst..our Bayeux Tapestry Mugs are on sale for the rest of this month!

reading-museum-shop.myshopify.com/products/bay...

Search the whole Collection here: reading-museum-shop.myshopify.com/collections/...

#RDG #RDGUK #BritainsBayeuxTapestry

families enjoying the museum's half term activity cart, colouring and drawing dragons

We've been having a great time here at Reading Museum so far this half term - and we hope you have too!

For low cost, family fun take a look at what we have on for the rest of this week: rdguk.info/Family_Fun_a...

(and it may involve a dragon or two 🐉)

#RDG #RDGUK #FamilyFun #ReadingMuseum

visitors drawing an owl in the Reading Museum galleries

Thanks to the artists at New Directions for delivering our Everybody's Welcome: BIG Artwork event today!

Some lovely drawings by our visitors ☺️

For all our events this week: rdguk.info/Family_Fun_a...

#RDG #RDGUK #NewDirections #FebruaryHalfTermFun

Listings of February half term activities at Reading Museum in 2026

⭐ Don't miss our special Monday opening today! ⭐

Planning what to do this week? Here's a reminder of what we have on...

www.readingmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/family-fun-reading-museum

#RDG #RDGUK #FebruaryHalfTermFun #ReadingMuseum

Museums, My Way Craft Sessions What: Special craft sessions based on our Easter events aimed at neurodivergent visitors and their families to complement our regular Saturday sessions.  A breakout room, Quiet areas with tents and cu...

Museums, My Way Craft Sessions @readingmuseum.bsky.social Mon 30 March, 2 bookable sessions at 10am & 11.15am. Special craft sessions based on our Easter events aimed at neurodivergent visitors and their families to complement our regular Saturday sessions. www.readingmuseum.org.uk/museums-my-w...