Caversham Court

The gardens were laid out between 1660 and 1681 by Thomas Loveday as a private retreat surrounding the house. In 1933 the rectory and grounds were sold to Reading Corporation, who demolished the house. Initially there were plans to use part of the site for road building. However, the gardens were opened to the public in Easter 1934. Caversham Court is currently owned by Reading Borough Council. Until its closure for restoration the site had been used for religious purposes by local Pagans. The garden was re-opened on 7 August 2009. The garden contains a number of Grade II listed buildings and features: the riverside garden pavilion (gazebo), the retaining walls to the raised walk leading to…

The gardens are laid out on three terraces and cover an area of 1.3 ha. The lower two consist of lawn dotted with mature trees; the upper terrace is the site of the old rectory and the original kitchen gardens which were converted to allotments during World War II as part of the "Dig for Victory" campaign. The allotments in the northwest corner preserve the boundaries of the kitchen gardens with its 'crinkle–crankle' wall and a tall yew hedge forming the southern boundary. The north boundary with the churchyard is 4 to 5 metres higher than the gardens below. In the northeast is the stable block of the former house. Caversham Court contains a number of fine tree specimens in particular, a…

Caversham Court hosts the annual Reading Open Air Shakespeare festival, staged by Reading's Progress Theatre each July. The festival originated in 1995, and until 2008 was staged in the ruins of Reading Abbey. The closure of these ruins for safety reasons meant that the festival did not run in 2009 or 2010, but it was relocated to Caversham Court in 2011, where it has remained.