Kellys_1914_0021.jpg

READING DIRECTO RY— 1914.

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nave o f three bays, side ch apel, w est porch and one bell in the w estern
g a b le ; it has 400 sittings, and is served b y th e clerg y of St. M ary the
V irgin.
A l l S a i n t s ’ C h u r c h , in D ow n sh ire square, erected at a cost o f a b o u t
£ 9 ,0 0 0 and enlarged in 1874 at a cost o f £ 3 ,6 3 0 , is a buildin g o f B ristol
stone, w ith Bath stone dressings, in the D ecorated style, consisting o f
apsidal chancel, nave o f five bays, aisles, tran sept, galilee porch and an
eastern tu rret containing one bell : there are 697 sittings. T h is church
is also attached to St. M a ry the V irg in .
C h r i s t C h u r c h is an ecclesiastical parish, form ed Jan. 16, 1863 ; the
church, in Christ Church road, in th e ham let of W h itle y , is a buildin g
o f stone in th e D ecorated style, con sistin g of' chancel, n ave, n orth and
soutlj aisles, transepts, and a tow er on the n orth -w est w ith angle b u t­
tresses rising into pinnacles, from w hich short flying buttresses sup port a
graceful octagonal spire ; th e tow er contains one b e l l : the w in dow s are
filled w ith stained g la s s : there are som e g ood frescoes on the east w a ll:
the electric ligh t was installed in 1906, the sanctuary being ligh ted by
concealed re fle cto rs: the church was enlarged in 1874, at a cost of
£4 ,3 2 6 , and affords 749 sittings, all o f w hich are free. The register
dates from the vear 1863. T h e livin g is a vicarage, net yea rly value
£ 2 3 0 , w ith residence, in the g ift o f th e B ish op o f O xford, and held
since 1896 by the R ev. Joint Francis W arren M .A . o f K eb le C ollege,
O xford.
G r e y F r i a r s is an ecclesiastical parish, form ed A ugust 3 0 ,1 8 6 4 , ou t o f
the parishes o f St. M ary and St. Laurence : the church, built o f flint, and
situated at the corner o f Caversham road, was re-construeted in 1863 from
the ancient church o f the m onastery of the G rey Friars, the north transept
being new from the foun dation s, and the w est and south w alls o f the south
transept, w ith the tw o eastern colum ns of the south arcade, r e b u ilt: it
now consists o f a very w ide nave o f five bays, aisles and transepts, b ut has
at present no chancel, it having been found im possible to acquire the
ground upon w hich it should stand : the aisles are separated from the
nave by P oin ted arches supported by clustered colu m n s, and the west
w indow , a portion o f the ancient structure, is one o f the largest and
finest exam ples o f reticulated tracery in existen ce, and in its grooves
fragm ents of stained glass of great thickness w ere m et w ith , and a
few old tiles of peculiar design discovered in the flooring have been
relaid ; under the north pier of the chancel arch a p erfect skeleton was
found w ithout any coffin, evid ently laid in th e foundations w hen th e
church was first built, and arched over w ith m a s o n r y : th e church w as
reopened D ec. 5, 1863, b y the late B ish op W ilb e rfo rce , o f O xford , in
the presence o f the M a yor and C o rp o ra tio n : the restoration was
accom plished at a cost of £ 1 2 ,0 0 0 b y th e sole efforts o f th e late V °n .
W . W . Ph elps, archdeacon of Carlisle, under the direction o f the late Mr.
W ood m a n , a rch itect, of R eading : there are sittings for about 760 persons,
400 being free. D uring the excavations in 1902 for the new h ot w ater
system , many hum an bones w ere d iscovered, w hich have carefully been
re-interred. T he register dates from the year 1864. T h e livin g is a v ica r­
age, endow m ent £ 1 2 6 . pew rents variable, net y ea rly value a bou t £ 2 6 5 ,
in the gift o f trustees, and held since 1905 b y 't h e R e v . H ugh Edm und
B oultbee M .A . o f D urham U n iversity. T h e boun dary of the ecclesi­
astical parish w as altered Sept. 6 , 1892, to include parts o f H o ly T rin ity
and St. M ary.