St. James' Churchyard in Reading, Berkshire

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Forbury Road
Reading, Reading Borough, Berkshire RG1 3HW England

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Members have Contributed

31 Memorials
81% photographed
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About these numbers These percentages indicate the number of Find a Grave memorials that have a grave photo or GPS coordinates. We don't know the total number of burials in a cemetery, so we cannot calculate a percentage of those with memorials, photos or GPS coordinates.

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St James Church is a Roman Catholic church situated in the centre of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is located adjacent to the remaining ruins of Reading Abbey, between the Forbury Gardens and Reading Gaol.

The church was built on a portion of the site of Reading Abbey. Its founder was James Wheble, who owned land in the area at that time. The church was designed by the architect A. W. N. Pugin and is sometimes claimed as his first church design although the neo-Gothic St Mary's Church, in Derby, was designed at the same time. The style is Norman, a style not normally associated with Pugin, and was probably influenced by the proximity of the Abbey ruins. The exterior of the building is of flint, with ashlar dressings and a Roman tile roof. Construction started in 1837 and the church opened on 5 August 1840. In 1925, the south aisle and the ambulatory round the apse were added. In 1962, the church was further extended by a north aisle into which was relocated the baptistery. The church is a Grade II listed building.