Abbey Square · Reading

Jane Austen's Classroom

Find the medieval gatehouse where a nine-year-old Jane Austen went to school.

• ⏱ 15 min
• 💷 £0
• 🥾 Easy

In 1785, a nine-year-old Jane Austen boarded at a school run out of the Abbey Gateway — one of the few parts of Reading Abbey that Henry VIII didn't flatten. She lasted about 18 months before the fees got too much. The gate's still standing, freshly restored, overlooking Forbury Gardens.

What you’ll do

1. 1Find the gateway
2. 2Spot the schoolroom
3. 3Prove it

Save it, send it to friends or plan your day around it. Free on the web, no download.

Photo: Oscar Taylor, CC BY-SA 2.0