Roman Britain Reimagined in Reading

The project will connect a wider range of people to Reading’s Roman heritage by reinterpreting Reading Museum’s important archaeological collections, through an exciting new Calleva gallery, learning resources and participatory activities. 

The project will redisplay the collection in an exciting and accessible way, supported by community engagement activities and schools’ programmes. A key theme is the parallel between Calleva’s cultural and ethnic diversity and contemporary Reading’s demographic profile.  The new gallery will reflect research by the University of Reading over the past 30 years of excavations on the site, with remarkable discoveries about Iron Age Calleva, Roman diet, international trade, religious practices and the diversity of Calleva’s inhabitants who came from the breadth of the Roman Empire.

Ideas for the interpretation and activity programme were tested during the project's development phase by carrying out interviews with stakeholders and volunteers; an online survey; focus groups; consultation with families at outreach events; and teacher interviews and surveys.

The consultation confirmed the inadequacies of the existing gallery but found its subject accessible to everyone. All our consultees had heard of the Romans and wanted to learn about what it was like to live in Calleva and relate it to modern life. Their feedback shaped plans for the project which are detailed in the Interpretation and Activity Plans.

The project's public activity programme has four themes:  

1. Telling the story of the Romans in Reading: through an immersive experience with smells, sounds and things to touch and do.
2. Animating the Gallery: an accessible public programme to enrich the experience including a range of Roman inspired activities and a Roman Festival to launch the gallery. 
3. Creative Calleva: arts, crafts and outreach taking the Museum into the community, working with partner organisations to engage different audiences.
4. Engaging schools: refreshing the Roman sessions for primary schools, focussing on Calleva rather than general Roman life, supported by new resources and teacher CPD; and a Schools’ Takeover Day for South Reading schools.

Partners who will help with delivery include the University of Reading's Silchester team, New Directions College, Jelly Arts, Care4Calais, Autism Berkshire and Berkshire Vision. The project will also benefit from support by Museums Partnership Reading, our strategic partnership with the University’s Museum of English Rural Life.

The project's development phase, was supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2024-2025. This stage developed the project's interpretation and activity plans and submitted a delivery stage application to the Heritage Fund in summer 2025. 

The project was awarded £714,785 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to deliver the Roman Britain – Reimagined in Reading project in January 2026. The delivery phase will run until early 2029. Key supporters also include:

• The Earley Charity awarded a grant of £94,000.
• Graham and Joanna Barker who have a passion for Roman archaeology, have pledged £25,000.
• Friends of Reading Museum, £15,000, increasing their commitment from the development phase.

In 2024-2025 we developed plans to refresh our Roman Gallery with a development grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Our current gallery contains important finds from the renowned collection of artefacts excavated at the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum at modern-day Silchester. The refreshed gallery will tell new stories based on the most recent archaeological research by the University of Reading and want to enhance the visitor experience.

To tell people about our project we held three talks in 2025. Professor Michael Fulford CBE, FBA, FSA, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Reading, has been investigating Calleva for 50 years. His three sell out lectures explored Calleva's Iron Age, Roman and landscape archaeology. Our thanks to Professor Fulford and the Friends of Reading Museum who supported these events.

In association with Hampshire Cultural Trust and Professor Fulford we also created a small pop-up display in the Welcome Gallery featuring finds from the University of Reading excavations at Silchester, complementing our permanent galleries that explore the Roman town of Calleva.

We have also tested 3D models for handling use as another way to connect more people with our Roman past. In 2024 we digitally scanned some real Roman objects to make 3D digital models, you can find out more in our Roman Silchester in 3D blog.  In 2025 we 3D printed these models so we could use these replicas in a test display in the Silchester Gallery.

We consulted with visitors, partners and stakeholders in 2024-2025. Thank you to everyone who shared their views and comments through focus groups, interviews and surveys. You can see what you told us in our April 2025 blog. These helped shape our delivery funding application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund that was submitted in summer 2025, including comprehensive interpretation and activity plans.

Reading Museum's Silchester Gallery features amazing finds from the renowned collection of artefacts excavated at the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum. Find out more on the Silchester Gallery webpage.

The Reading Museum blog contains many stories about Iron Age and Roman Calleva including:

• Prof Mike Fulford exclusively reveals research into human remains from Iron Age and Roman Silchester, including a man with Spanish heritage in late Iron Age Britain.
• Find out more about the mysterious stone carved in Ogham that was found in the Roman town of Silchester.
• Discover the story behind the Silchester Eagle, one of the most remarkable finds from Roman Britain

Today, the complete and well preserved town wall and amphitheatre, are the principal remains that you can visit and are looked after by English Heritage. Since the 1970s excavations led by the University of Reading have provided new insights into Calleva's Iron Age origins, the Roman town and later occupation.

National cycle route 23 from Reading to Basingstoke is known as the Calleva Way, and the St James' Way, a way-marked walking route which forms part of the ancient pilgrimage route of 'Camino de Santiago. Both routes connect the Museum to the archaeological site at Silchester. 

You can also reach the archaeological site from Bramley train station, on the rail-line between Reading and Basingstoke, and then follow the waymarked Brenda Parker Way to Silchester.

Reading Basingstoke Community Rail Partnership's website has a series of guided walks from Bramley and Mortimer stations that link to the Roman town site at Silchester.

See https://readingbasingstokecrp.co.uk/walks/

Find out more about visiting the ruins of Roman Calleva on the English Heritage website