Reading Museum Launches Collection Website

Reading Museum has created an online showcase that will display more than 2,700 objects from its collections, including the oil painting by Paul Sandby below of the inner gateway of Reading Abbey that connected the public outer precinct (The Forbury) to the private inner precinct where the monks lived and worked.

Oil painting by Paul Sandby, 1808, north side of Abbey Gate

A major highlight for local residents will be almost 2,000 photographs of Reading during the 20th century, many from the Reading Chronicle collection.

The website will be a growing ‘shop window’ for the museum’s diverse archaeology, art, natural history, social history and world collections.

The new Collections Online catalogue has been created thanks to funding from the Arts Council England.  It can be found at http://collections.readingmuseum.org.uk