Reading Civic Society worked with Reading Borough Council and Reading Museum from summer 2024 to identify sources of funding to commission a new commemorative plaque the mark Jane Austen’s time at school in Reading. The plaque was to erected in 2025 on the eastern wall of the Abbey Gateway to replace the previous almost illegible brass plaque that was incorrectly sited in a locked garden behind the west side of the Abbey Gateway.
2025 was chosen because it marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen (1775-1817), one of our best known authors. Jane spent 18 months at Reading Ladies Boarding School in our town between the summer of 1785 and December 1786. The school Jane attended was attached to the East Side of the Abbey Gateway, hance the placement of the new plaque.
On 28 June 2025 the plaque was unveiled. It was a lovely sunny day, chosen to coincide with Reading’s Waterfest, and the plaque was unveiled by the Mayor of Reading, Dr Alice Mpofu-Coles, followed by speeches from Lucy Zeal, a Deputy Lord Lieutenant of the County and Will le Fleming, Head of The Abbey School talking about Jane and the impact she has had on many generations of her readers.
Here is Will Le Fleming’s speech:
Really there are three reasons that lie behind our support of this wonderful new initiative.
The first is that our school is part of the tradition of girls’ education in Reading that stretches back to Jane and beyond. We take our foundation date as 1887, when our school came into being as Reading High School, but in the early 20th century we were renamed The Abbey in honour of the time Jane spent here. This gateway, where she studied, is at the heart of our crest. One of our main buildings is the Jane Austen Wing. And as the school that has taken on the baton of girls’ education in this town, there is a common thread that links us back to the school Jane knew, when girls’ education was already well-established in Reading. While the names of the various girls’ schools changed, and much has changed about the way we teach and learn, the common thread, the sense of purpose on behalf of girls and women, has remained the same.
The second reason we are so glad to be part of these celebrations is that community matters to us. We are so committed to being a force for good not just in the lives of our students, supporting them to continue to make the world a fairer and more equal place, but in the life of this town. We run an organisation called ARCH, which aims to bring opportunity to every young person in Reading, with a particular focus on girls, but an ambition to benefit everyone. We run countless events to which young people from all backgrounds and all walks of life are invited to explore ideas and think about their futures. We love being part of the history and present life of Reading and whenever there is an opportunity, like today, to celebrate what makes this community special, we would always want to be part of it and doing our bit.
And there is a final reason for our involvement today, and it concerns Jane and her writing. Much of what she explored was about rejecting the way society placed restrictions on the futures of women because of their sex. There is a spirit of defiance against the limited destinies to which they were consigned if they lacked the means to live life on their own terms. It is done with warmth and humour and generosity, but it is defiant nonetheless. And really that encapsulates the spirit of The Abbey School. We share the defiance, the absolute rejection of the idea of obstacles and injustice being placed in the path of women, and indeed of anyone in our society. And we share the warmth and humour and generosity. Our chief aim as a school is joy, and we are a community full of laughter and a sense of fun – but one with a serious purpose, and one that Jane would recognise. So we are proud to be a school that is in some way part of the Jane Austen story.
And because of the kind of school we are, we would always want to be represented first and foremost by the voice of our students. As part of our celebration of literature in all its forms, we have Poet Laureates in our school. I am delighted that our first Poet Laureate, Imogen Haley, is here today. She’s a brilliant writer who has done a huge amount to celebrate events and milestones in the life of our school over her tenure. I’d like to welcome her to perform a poem written in honour of Jane Austen and of this occasion.
Design and Build
The overall cost of the project to design, build and mount the plaque on the Abbey Gateway, a designated Scheduled Ancient Monument, was projected at £7,500. Reading Borough Council were able to find £6,500 of funding from sources such as the Shared Prosperity Fund. Reading Civic Society, within 2 weeks, raised the balance by way of donations from its members and other groups. Donors included The Abbey School, Friends of Reading Museum, Friends of Reading Abbey, History of Reading Society and several individual Society members.
The commemorative plaque was carved and installed by Cliveden Restoration; a company that has been involved in the restoration of many of the town’s statues and memorials. It is a circular stone plaque made from Forest of Dean sandstone situated within the gateway arch. The lettering is black.
The overall design has been chosen to be fully reversible as it will be attached to a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The more common Historic England Blue Plaques need to have a section of brickwork carved out to allow them to be set in a wall whereas this plaque will be fixed by secret supports hammered into the mortar. Historic England have given their consent to the design and fixing.
If you’re interested in plaques in Reading, then you will want to see the new section on our website entitled Heritage & Plaques that provide details of all of the plaques around the town, including this one to Jane Austen, and their locations.