Reading Abbey / Natural History Museum
12 miles walked
We took the morning commuter train to Reading and visited the Abbey Ruins. Commissioned by King Henry I in 1121 – he died in 1136 having been buried at the high altar, unable to witness the Abbey’s opening in 1164. Construction continued for another 200 years. During the 400 years following the opening, the abbey was the fourth largest church in Brittain.
The Abbey hosted royal weddings, royal funerals in addition to meetings for Parliament and court. The Abbey was the economical source and government of Reading for many centuries. Located next to the Thames & Kennet rivers Reading was prosperous.
Abruptly – 1539 King Henry VIII seized the Abbey & all it’s possessions. The Abbey was closed for services, yet continued usefully as Royal lodgings. Throughout the following couple of centuries – the Abbey went through disputed ownerships to housing multiple schools. Reading Ladies Boarding School was housed in the Gateway – one of the few remaining structures at the time, which Jane Austen had attended.
We boarded the train back to town for The Natural History Museum.
A wonderful and fun place to check out for free admission! – The Natural History Museum. We didn’t walk through all the exhibits – just the highlights we wanted to see. The dinosaur exhibit had 1 of 2 skeletons of the armored scolosaurus – sans the tail end, the right hindlimb, right forelimb and the skull. This was found in Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta Canada in 1914 by William Edmund Cutler. The other speciman was collected from Upper Member of the Two Medicine Formation in Montana, which part of a skull was collected. The Montana speciman is possibly at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana per Wikipedia.
We had a late lunch at Honest Burgers in South Kensington and headed back towards the flat – as I had an appointment for a Covid Test.
Cleared for take off (Frankoma too) – I checked in online early & the next am had a chill morning packing & bid my friend farewell until the next girls’ trip!
Total walking mileage – 65.8
SquirrelyGrl Tales 