A great museum in the heart of Reading! Must See! The Reading, UK museum is a fantastic place to explore if you're curious about history and local culture. It is located at the southeast corner of Blagrave and Volpy intersection. When I visited, it was under construction but signs directed you toward the entrance. As a new visitor, you'll find it full of interesting things to see and learn about. When you walk in, You are looking at an information counter. The museum is a multi-story affair to the left of the entrance. It was a friendly atmosphere and the staff was very friendly and willing to offer any help to guide you. The museum has a wide variety of exhibits, like ancient artifacts, artwork, and interactive displays. They make history come alive! The bottom floor had a section about the town's history. You can discover how Reading has changed over time, from its beginnings to the present day. It's like taking a journey through time! The 2nd floor had a recreation of the Bayeux tapestry with an explanation that was fascinating. The upper floors have wonderful art pieces including one of the largest Roman Mosaics that I have ever seen intact from the area. In summary, the Reading, UK museum is a welcoming place where you can explore history, art, and culture. Whether you're a history buff or just curious, it's a great spot to visit and learn something new about this charming town. I highly recommend it. Enjoy your visit! read more

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Reading (pronounced like the color, red-ing) is no London, but it does have history and culture. Those are collected here, in the Museum of Reading. Going all the way back to the 8th century, the displays here walk you through the ages of the city. I found it very educational and enlightening. Through the old days, up to the modern days of the city that really accelerated with the arrival of the railway in the 1840's, the impact of Huntley and Palmers biscuits on the growth, and the brick factories, WWII, and the new modern age, where Microsoft, Oracle, ING Direct, Prudential have major operations here. Lots of displays, many of which are interactive. If you have kids, this might be a fun place to bring them. Though they probably already come here as part of school trips. While they don't do public guided tours, there's still plenty to look at and engage. You can probably go through the whole place (it's on three floors) in two hours. Admission is free. read more

Museum Of Reading - "Presented by the City of Reading, PA on the occasion of the coronation of HM Queen Elizabeth II, June 2, 1953" - Museums Near Me - Reading, RDG

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I found this museum through Nerdy Day Trips, and thus thought it would be well worth a visit, even though our trip there was ill-timed with the day of the Reading half-marathon, and terrible weather. But no matter, we eventually found parking in a nearby lot, and pressed onwards to the museum. The building the museum is housed in is itself a gem; imposing Victorian splendour amongst the hideous industrial estates that Reading appeared to be mostly comprised of. The ground floor was delightfully warm, dark, and cluttered with fascinating miscellany, all things I look for when visiting a small local museum, and pertained mostly to the history of Reading. Though the displays were quite interesting, I must confess, it was the reproduction of the Bayeux Tapestry, and the biscuit tin collection which drew me here, and we had limited time, as we were hoping to visit several other museums that day, so I didn't spend as much time looking through this section as I would have liked. On the next floor, we were greeted by a Victorian replica of the Bayeux tapestry, sewn by the ladies of Reading in the 1880s, and it was really rather magnificent, wrapping around the entire room, and captioned appropriately. The Victorian ladies had clearly hoped to preserve our modesty by adding shorts to a naked man in one of the panels, but the tapestry was otherwise a faithful reproduction. Really it was like being in France without the inconvenience of the French, and left me craving a croissant, which I was able to procure from the nicely appointed M&S food hall across the street. Sure, it wasn't as good as a French croissant would have been, but it was the next best thing to actually trekking out to Normandy. And the Reading Museum has something that Normandy lacks. Biscuits! Hidden away down a hallway on the top floor is a room devoted to Huntley and Palmers, biscuit manufacturers. I'd never heard of them prior to our visit, but they were apparently quite a large Reading based manufacturer up until the 1970s, and they produced a cunning array of beautifully decorated tins, many of which were on display here, along with other biscuit related paraphernalia. My personal favourites included a biscuit framed picture of Lord Kitchener, a John Ginger pin, designed to promote Ginger Nuts, and of course, the sad eyed kitten biscuit tin. The rest of the floor was devoted to taxidermy (always a treat), the Romans, a reproduction Victorian schoolroom, and some random Victorian oil paintings that had been mounted haphazardly on the wall. I realise this review perhaps sounds a bit tongue in cheek, as this is my usual tone, but honestly, I thought this museum was pretty rad. I don't know if I would plan a whole trip on the basis of seeing it, but if you're anywhere in the area, it's definitely worth a look. The tapestry is genuinely impressive, and you can tell the entire collection was assembled with love. Plus, it's free, and they even sell the aforementioned Huntley and Palmers biscuits in the gift shop (fresh ones, as they have since resumed production in Suffolk). I bought some of the "seriously knobbly" dark and milk chocolate ones, and they were indeed "moreish" as promised on the packet. All in all, a great way to pass a rainy afternoon in charming surroundings. read more

Pretty boring. Not much to do. The artefacts are pretty lame but it's reasonably big and easily accessible.

The Reading Museum is a must visit if you are in Reading. it is perfect for spending a lunch break or for first time visitors a couple of hours. The collection is huge and diverse with everything from huntley and palmers biscuits to the Bayeux tapestry from roman artefacts to stanley spencer paintings. the galleries are modern and well displayed and The staff are incredibly knowledgable and very helpful. don't visit Reading without having a look at this gem. read more

Reading museum sounds like a run of the mill local history museum but prepare to be surprised, it is far more than that. For a start it is a large museum with several floors of galleries. One of these houses the only UK-located copy of the Bayeaux Tapestry - something that you might expect to see in a major national institution. There are galleries on a range of subjects relating to the area and its ancient and modern history and its industry and temporary exhibitions on a pretty big scale are staged here. If there was a prize for the best local history museum in England, this would be likely to win it. read more

mega boring