Shopped out.

The rain stopped sometime in the night and surprisingly it was really quiet here. Despite that I was up a little earlier than normal to make the tea. The water level had risen last night then dropped again but this morning it was up a little again, but nothing to be alarmed about.

On the other side this loop of the river served the vast Huntley and Palmer's biscuit factory with bringing in flour etc and shifting the tins of biscuits out to the ports. Nothing is left now to show for it now. On this side we are moored up near the wall to Reading Prison. 

Above the towpath is the Oscar Wilde Memorial with the Chestnut Walk. Oscar Wilde was imprisoned at the Jail from 1895 to 1897 when we has released. He was there when there was a hanging and after his release and in France he wrote the 'Ballard of Reading Gaol' in 1897 about the hanging of Charles Wooldridge who had killed his wife.

Also next the moorings and the jail are the ruins of the Abbey. They weren't open for us to look round but they appeared quite extensive. They were built in the 12th century by Henry I and were shut down during the reformation in the 16th century by Henry VIII. They were damaged quite badly in the Civil War when the town was besieged by the Parliamentary forces.

The area of the Forbury Park has been used for centuries. It was a defence for the abbey and when that was closed became a dumping ground, a gun emplacement in the Civil War, a sports ground for the local school and then a botanical gardens in the Victorian era. The Maiwand is one of the largest such statues in the UK and commemorates the loss of 286 men of the Royal Berkshire Regiment at Maiwand in Afghanistan in 1880. It was erected in 1886. The bandstand was added later.

Helen was looking for several items and had her eye open for Christmas presents so we spent the day searching through the many shops and malls and were successful in some of the items on the wish list.

The very unusual Minster Church of St. Mary the Virgin. The church was developed when a nunnery was built as a repentance for Queen Elfrida having her step son Edward II murdered. He was quickly buried and when the news got out he was to be taken up and given a proper burial. Elfrida was going to attend but every horse she had saddled to take her would not budge. She took this as a sign and St Mary's was the church of the nunnery.

The unique look to the building is given by the chequered use of stone and flint and is very distinctive. Inside was quite plain and was slightly unusual in that there were clouds of incense and prayer candles, and there was quite loud music that included George Michael! 

After a day of shopping Helen treated me to a pint at the Weatherspoon's that is very close to the boat the 'Back of Beyond'. As we passed we took this picture of the mooring with a better look at the Chestnut Walk and the walls of the prison.

Once we got back there were groups of hen night participants wandering about. I was asked to provide a pair of boxer shorts! I would have done but I don't have any. Mind you I do not go commando, just different apparel. I was able to supply something blue that they also required, and before you ask, it was the clour blue, and Helen donated a crocheted flower.