Reading: Then & Now

Ever looked up and wondered what used to be above the shopfronts, or why there’s an old building in the middle of today’s high-rise offices, a strange road layout or a gap in the landscape? The art collection at Reading Museum may hold the answer.

We have simply chosen paintings, drawings and prints of Reading from the last 250 years and photographed the same view today. So that you can easily go out to explore for yourselves we have concentrated on familiar parts of the town centre and the two rivers that define the town.

Sometimes, with the many trees, buildings and cars in the ‘Now’ scenes you need a vivid imagination to find traces of the ‘Then’ scenes. But, if you put on your detective’s hat and look closely, you can spot landmarks like old church towers, bridges or roof tops to get your bearings.

This exhibition has been made with the support of Reading Civic Society, Snappy Snaps, Museums Partnership Reading and volunteer photographers.