I have for some time now been attempting to visit every museum in the Reading area of which there are eight by my reckoning. The last of these that I had to do was a tiny place just on the outskirts of town, just 15 minute from the centre.
I have to admit I had always thought that the museum was called Blake’s Lock Museum and so it came as somewhat of a surprise to see it signed as the Riverside Museum at Blake’s Lock. Maybe at some point in the past it was called Blake’s Lock Museum but that’s certainly not the case now.
The museum occupies two small buildings next to what was at one point a Bel and the Dragon restaurant, somewhere that I enjoyed going but clearly didn’t go often enough as it has now shut down. Responsibility for opening the closing the museum each day rests with Fullers the owners of the aforementioned pub but now that it is closed I’m not sure how reliable it will be. Also, the museum is only open from 10 am each day from April through to the end of September.
Screen House
The first building on the left hand side is the Screen House. Half of this is taken up with a gypsy caravan of the type that was once made in Reading. It is house in a separate area of the room behind glass which, I guess, is a consequence of the museum being unmanned. The other half of the room has a display cabinet showing various artifacts of Reading life taking in all the Bs (Bulbs, Biscuits and Beer) that the town is famous for. There is also a screen which I assume shows some sort of film but it was out of order when I visited.
Turbine House
The second room is called the Turbine House, which somewhat gives away its original purpose and much of the works are still visible. Other than the turbine works the room was empty when I visted, however, I know that the room is used for temporary art exhibitions by Reading Museum fairly regularly so it is worth checking their website for any that might be planned or are on currently.
A Wasted Visit?
Should you bother to visit the Riverside Museum at Blake’s Lock? Well, it does occupy an attractive position on the Kennet and on a fine day it is an attractive place to sit and while away some time. That was even more so the case when the restaurant was open and you could stop and have a coffee or something stronger. Now, I’d say that it is less of a destination in its own right and I’d probably only go if there was an exhibition on— unless you are a completist like me and need to visit to complete your I-Spy book of Reading museums!
