I seem to have developed an unnatural fascination with the work of Alfred Waterhouse, famed architect of the Natural History Museum in London and, as it turns out, many fine buildings in Reading too.
For my Reading Guide project I’d visited some of the buildings for the Interesting Architecture page and also created a summary guide with map but I thought it would be worth taking a look at each one in a little more detail.
Waterhouse’s Reading Works
This is a list of all surviving Waterhouse buildings in and around Reading in the order that they were built along with brief details about each property.
| Building | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Old Whiteknights House | 1868 | Now part of the University of Reading; designed for his own father. |
| Foxhill House | 1868 | Built as Waterhouse’s own residence on the Whiteknights estate. |
| Reading School | 1871 | The main school buildings on Erleigh Road. |
| Reading Town Hall | 1875 | Specifically the first phase (the clock tower and facade). |
| The Rising Sun Institute | 1877 | Now the Rising Sun Arts Centre on Silver Street. |
| Grove House | 1877 | Located at Leighton Park School; originally built for the Ford family. |
| East Thorpe House | 1880 | Now the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL). |
| St Bartholomew’s Church | 1881 | Located in Earley; a fine example of his ecclesiastical work. |
Below are more details on each one and are listed here in the same order as the table, i.e. in the order they were built.
Old Whiteknights House, University of Reading
The area that the University of Reading now sits is called Whiteknights Park and in 1798 it was sold to the Marquis of Blandford. Unfortunately, the Marquis got into financial difficulties and so in 1867 the land was parcelled up into six leasehold plots and Alfred Waterhouse bought two of them. On one Waterhouse build a house for his father, Alfred Waterhouse, senior. The house came with 70 acres of land which sounds like it might have been a bit of a bind to mow!
Foxhill House, University of Reading
On the second plot of land leased by Waterhouse, he built a house for him and his family: Foxhill House.
Of all the Waterhouse buildings in Reading Foxhill House is by far my favourite. The shape of the house, the diapering brick patterns and the beautiful grounds it is set in all make it perfect. It must have been an idyllic place to live back in 1868 when it was first built and it wasn’t surrounded by student accommodation.
The family moved out of Foxhill House in 1881 to move into the even bigger Yattendon Court, so Waterhouse was obviously doing well for himself. A two bedroom ground floor apartment in Yattendon Court will these days cost you £425,000.
Deciphering the Monogram
On the side of Foxhill House is this jumble of lines which I took to be a monogram but wanted some confirmation of that so I turned to AI to help decypher it. This is what it came back with:
If you look closely at the carving:
- The large rounded form on the left reads as a W
- The angled form crossing the centre forms an A
- The vertical element in the middle helps complete the structure of the A while also tying the design together.
Victorian architects loved this sort of interlaced, almost knot-like treatment of initials, especially when designing their own homes. Waterhouse was particularly fond of Romanesque and richly modelled terracotta detailing, and this circular framed monogram fits perfectly with his style.
I don’t know about you but no matter how long I stare at the monogram I cannot make out an A not a W!
Reading School & Chapel
Looking like an Hogwarts outbuilding, Reading School (and not Reading BOYS School) on Erleigh Rd, has two buildings designed by Waterhouse: the imposing building you can see from the road, known to the pupils as “Big School”, and the Chapel. Waterhouse didn’t do many religious buildings so Reading is spoiled with two.
The chapel is small but lovely inside, with some beautiful stained glass. One of my sons went to Reading School and it’s funny to think of him sat in there singing hymes, well mumbling more likely!
Once thing to note is that you cannot just walk up to the school to take a look at the buildings. The closest you can get is probably the main entrance on Erleigh Rd. I’ve been a couple of times for organised tours and, of course, for quite a few parent’s evenings.
Town Hall, Reading
I guess that this is the most visible example of Waterhouse’s work being right in the centre of town, although it isn’t all his work. This and the history of the building is better explained by the council itself:
[The Town Hall] consists of four buildings built in the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1786 the oldest building – the Victoria Hall – opened as a purpose built town hall designed by Charles Poulton. A new council chamber and a clock tower designed by Alfred Waterhouse opened in 1876 followed by the Museum, Library and a Concert Hall, designed by the architect Thomas Lanson. The Art Gallery and Library Reading room were added and then in 1975 new civic offices were built to serve Reading Borough and the Town Hall ceased its administration function.
Somewhat unbelievably, the Town Hall was under the threat of demolition in the 1970s, but thankfully dodged that bullet and was comprehensively refurbished in the late 1980s.
The building looks fantastic and now houses the museum, concert hall, registry office and a cafe.
The Rising Sun Institute (now the Rising Sun Arts Centre)
Designed in 1877, the building was commissioned as a Temperance Tavern. Alfred Waterhouse, who was a Quaker, often supported the Temperance movement—a social movement against the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
At the time, the building was situated in Silver Street, an area then known for its “houses of ill repute” and numerous pubs. The Rising Sun was intended to provide a wholesome, alcohol-free alternative for the local working-class community. Some accounts even suggest Waterhouse designed it specifically for his wife, Elizabeth Hodgkin, who was also a committed Quaker.
In 1990, a group of local artists “squatted” in the semi-derelict building to prevent its demolition and to create a space for the arts. This grassroots movement eventually became the Rising Sun Arts Centre, which gained registered charity status in 1997. It is now a vibrant, independent arts venue hosting exhibitions, live music, and community workshops.
Unfortunately, the building sadly seems to be in a poor state of repair, with much worn brickwork, but hopefully, as it is Grade II listed, it is going to be cared for by future generations.
Grove House, Leighton Park School
Early in his life Waterhouse attended the Grove House School, a Quaker school in Tottenham, London. When the Grove House School closed the Quaker’s opened a new school very close to Waterhouse’s own home, Foxhill House, in Reading. The new school was named Leighton Park and the first senior boarding house building was named Grove House, after the original London school and the building was designed by ex-pupil Waterhouse.
Having just had an extensive refurbishment, Grove House is probably the best preserved of all the Reading Waterhouse buildings. It is now a sixth form study centre and the school library. It is a beautiful building and, hopefully, appreciated by its current occupants.
Like Reading School above you cannot visit the building without prior permission.
East Thorpe House (now Museum of English Rural Life)
East Thorpe House, built in 1882, now sits on a busy road opposite the Royal Berkshire Hospital, but when it went up there was nothing opposite but the fields of Redlands Farm, which is somewhat hard to imagine.
Showing the amount of money in biscuits, Alfred Palmer of Huntley and Palmer biscuits fame commissioned Waterhouse to design him a home for Palmer, his wife and two children (plus cook, scullery maid, gardener, butler, housekeeper, coachmen and nursery nurse, et al).
The house had four staff bedrooms in the top floor and, unusually for the time a family bathroom when most had to make do with an outhouse and tin bath. Outside there is some lovely detailing on the brick work of the building with specially fired terracotta blocks adding detailing around the doors and windows. It also has a large garden which then included tennis courts and a separate small dwelling adjacent for the butler and housekeeper. Given that this was before cars there was also a large stable block with stabling for six horses and two carriages.
Despite this being a lovely family home it wasn’t the only place that Palmer owned and after only eight years he moved the family from East Thorpe to Wokefield Park down the road as he wanted to be more in the countryside.
It was then rented out in until 1911 after which it became a halls of residence for the university before finally becoming the permament home of MERL in 2005.
St Bartholomew’s Church
The youngest of Waterhouse’s Reading buildings is St Bartholomew’s Church on the corner of London Road and St Bartholomew’s Road, adjacent to Palmer Park.
While Waterhouse designed the main structure, the building’s current appearance is a result of later collaborations and additions that refined its aesthetic.
The interior consists of a five-bay aisled nave with wide bay arcades on low columns. Though the interior brickwork was originally exposed, much of the work is now obscured by whitewash.
Between 1902 and 1905, a three-bay aisled chancel was added with Waterhouse’s consent. This was designed by the architect G.F. Bodley, featuring a panelled waggon roof and Decorated-style windows.
The church was built to serve the growing “New Town” area of Reading, which lacked wealthy local patrons at the time. Because the area was not affluent, the funds for the 1890s expansions (including the chancel and vestries) were raised in small monthly sums by the congregation, eventually totaling £4,000.
Want More?
If you are in the mood for more Waterhouse and don’t mind travelling a bit Yattendon has Waterhouse’s later home Yattendon Court and, just around the corner, the Waterhouse designed Yattendon bus shelter! Even further afield are The Natural History Museum and Manchester Town Hall. Waterhouse was certainly prolific so you have plenty of his work to enjoy.
Picture Gallery
