Hospitium of St John the Baptist

The Hospitium of St John the Baptist was the hospitium, or dormitory for pilgrims, of Reading Abbey, which today is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. The hospitium was founded in 1189, and at its maximum comprised a range of buildings that could accommodate 400 people. The main building has survived, and is grade II listed. Much of the remainder of the original hospitium was located where Reading Town Hall now stands.[1][2]

For other similarly named institutions, see Hospital of St John the Baptist (disambiguation).

Hospitium of St John
The former main building of the hospitium
TypeHospitium
Coordinates51°27′25.0″N 0°58′09.3″W
Built1189 / 1485
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameMunicipal Buildings
Designated22 March 1957
Reference no.1113402
Hospitium of St John the Baptist is located in Reading Central
Hospitium of St John the Baptist
Location of Hospitium of St John in Reading Central

The abbey school, which was founded in 1125, moved into the hospitium in 1485 as the Royal Grammar School of King Henry VII. The surviving building probably dates from this date, albeit incorporating some of the earlier building. The abbey school still exists in the form of Reading School, a state grammar school, albeit in different buildings on a different site.[2]

About 100 years after the abbey school occupied the hospitium, and after the dissolution of the monasteries, Reading town council created a new town hall by inserting an upper floor into the hospitium's refectory, leaving the lower floor to be used by the school. This was the home of the town's administration for about 200 years, but the old refectory building eventually became structurally unsound. Between 1785 and 1786, the refectory building was dismantled and replaced on the same site by the first of several phases of building that were to make up today's Town Hall. The main building of the hospitium survived this demolition, and various other uses followed.[1][3][4]

In 1892 the College at Reading was founded in the hospitium building as an extension college of the University of Oxford. The college occupied the hospitium until it was given a site on London Road in 1904 by the Palmer family of Huntley & Palmers fame. In 1926 the college received a Royal Charter and became the University of Reading. More recently the hospitium has been incorporated into an office development, and is occupied by a children's nursery.[1][3][4][5][6]

Today the surviving building occupies a rather isolated site, with no direct street access. It abuts the main concert hall of Reading Town Hall to the west, and the south of the building opens directly onto the churchyard of St Laurence's Church. The building is surrounded to the north and east by a modern office development, with a small intermediate courtyard.

  • The Hospitium seen from the churchyard, with Town Hall to left and office development behind
    The Hospitium seen from the churchyard, with Town Hall to left and office development behind
  • The north side of the Hospitium seen from the courtyard of the office development
    The north side of the Hospitium seen from the courtyard of the office development
  • The roof of the hospitium is seen in the centre here, surrounded by churchyard, Town Hall and offices
    The roof of the hospitium is seen in the centre here, surrounded by churchyard, Town Hall and offices

References
  1. Ford, David Nash. "The Hospitium". Royal Berkshire History. Nash Ford Publishing. Archived from the original on 13 August 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2009.
  2. "Municipal Building, Abbey, Reading". Historic England. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  3. Phillips, Daphne (1980). The Story of Reading. Countryside Books. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-905392-07-3.
  4. Phillips, Daphne (1980). The Story of Reading. Countryside Books. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-905392-07-3.
  5. "The University's History". University of Reading. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
  6. "Hospitium". readingabbeyquarter.org.uk. Reading Borough Council. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
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