Forbury Gardens

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A panoramic view of Forbury Gardens from the top of Forbury Hill, looking in a westerly direction. On the left is the refreshment kiosk, in centre is the bandstand. The Maiwand Lion statue is obscured by the tree just right of centre.

The Forbury Gardens were originally the outer court of Reading Abbey in front of the Abbey Church. Fairs were held here three times a year until the early 1800s. Today it is a very attractive public park owned by Reading Borough Council.

1 History
2 Today
3 Notes
4 References
5 Further reading
6 External links

[edit] History

In bygone days, monasteries in English towns had a forbury, which was simply a 'borough in front', or a large area of open land either just inside or just outside the abbey walls. The monks and the townspeople could mix freely together there. The Forbury in Reading was part of the outer court of the Abbey, and provided a market place as well as a meeting place.

In 1150, Forbury Hill was constructed to help fortify the Abbey during the war between King Henry I's daughter, Matilda, and his nephew, Stephen.

In 1539, after Hugh Cook of Farringdon, the last abbot, was hung drawn and quartered, the Abbey had ceased to be a religious centre and was confiscated by the Crown to became a royal palace. This was part of Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s.

In the English Civil War (which started in 1642), Forbury Hill was used as a gun emplacement during the siege of Reading. The abbey sustained further damage during the war.

Forbury Hill and the eastern section of the present gardens were sold to Reading Corporation in 1854. In those days, the site was on the edge of town, and had been used as a rubbish tip. A pleasure garden 'with a botanical character' including a fountain and summer house were planned, and work began in 1855. The Pleasure Gardens opened on Easter Sunday 1856. The western part of the gardens were bought a year later. Until 1873 it was separated from the Pleasure Gardens by a wall. A tunnel was built on the eastern side in 1859 to link the gardens and the Abbey ruins.

The Maiwand Lion statue was erected in 1886 to commemorate the officers and men of the Royal Berkshire Regiment, who had fought in the Battle of Maiwand at Girishk Maiwand and Kandahar in Afghanistan in 1880. A cross memorializing Henry I was put up at about the same time on the north west corner of the footings of the Abbey Church.

The Victoria Gates on the southern side of the gardens commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. The shields on the gates are those of the Borough and the Abbey.

[edit] Today

A map of Forbury Gardens in central Reading

A grand re-opening event took place on May 14, 2005, to mark the completion of a one year restoration project. The Heritage Lottery Fund awarded Reading Borough Council £2.13 million to restore the historic features of the Forbury Gardens and improve safety and access for visitors. The scheme was developed in consultation with residents and interested local groups.

Work in the gardens themselves has included the restoration of the Forbury Lion, the bandstand, water feature and the garden's walls, fencing and gateways.

The new Keeper's Lodge also includes a refreshment kiosk, public toilets and a resident gardener.

After the restoration, closed circuit cameras monitor the whole Gardens area, in a bid to deter the drug users and other miscreants that used to make ordinary people fearful of using the public gardens.

[edit] Maiwand Lion

The Maiwand Lion cast iron sculpture by George Blackall Simonds, erected in 1886.

The Maiwand Lion was named after a village in Afganistan and was built to commemorate the deaths of 329 men from the 66th Berkshire Regiment in the Battle of Maiwand. It is more commonly known locally as the Forbury Lion. The inscription on the statue reads as follow;

This monument commemorates the names and records the valour and devotion of XI (11) officers and CCCXVIII (318) non-commissioned officers and men of the LXVI (66th) Berkshire Regiment who gave their lives for their country at Girishk Maiwand and Kandahar during the Afghan Campaign MDCCCLXXIX (1878) - MDCCCLXXX (1880) History does not afford any grander or finer instance of gallentry and devotion to Queen and country than that displayed by the LXVI Regiment at the Battle of Maiwand on the XXVII (27th) July MDCCCLXX (1880) Despatch of General Primrose

Only 11 men of the regiment survived the fighting that day, having faced an Afghan army ten times the size of the British contingent. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle based his character Doctor Watson on the regiments Medical officer, Surgeon Major A F Preston who was injured in battle. [1][2]

The sculptor was George Blackall Simonds, a member of a Reading brewing family from Simonds' Brewery. At 9½ metres long (31'), and having taken two years to design and complete, the lion is one of the world's largest cast iron statues. Rumours persisted that Simonds committed suicide on learning that the lion's gait was incorrectly that of a domestic cat. In fact, he made careful observations on lions and the stance was anatomically correct. He also lived for another 43 years, enjoying continuing success as a sculptor going on to create a Statue of Queen Victoria (1887), a statue of George Palmer (1891). He retired from Sculpting in 1903 and worked in the family business eventually becoming its chairman in 1910. In 1922 he temporarily came out of retirement to build the Bradfield war memorial which commemorated the deaths in the first world war of those in the 2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers which included his son. [3]

The Maiwand Lion features in the masthead of the local newspaper, the Reading Evening Post

The Maiwand Lion features in the masthead of the local daily newspaper, the Reading Evening Post and also on the Reading Football Club crest.

[edit] Bandstand

The recently restored bandstand in Forbury Gardens, with the Maiwand Lion in the background

The bandstand was renovated recently as part of a heritage restoration project. Reading Borough Council organises summer concerts there on Sunday afternoons during July and August.

[edit] Forbury Hill

The Hill is now accessible by two winding footpaths (wheelchair-accessible) that lead to an area that is elevated about 20 metres above the surrounding gardens. A single tree stands in the middle, and around the outer edge of the top of the hill are wooden seats.