Museum Of Reading

I found this museum through Nerdy Day Trips, and thus thought it would be well worth a visit, even though our trip there was ill-​timed with the day of the Reading half-​marathon, and terrible weather. But no matter, we eventually found parking in a nearby lot, and pressed onwards to the museum. The building the museum is housed in is itself a gem; imposing Victorian splendour amongst the hideous industrial estates that Reading appeared to be mostly comprised of. The ground floor was delightfully warm, dark, and cluttered with fascinating miscellany, all things I look for when visiting a small local museum, and pertained mostly to the history of Reading. Though the displays were quite interesting, I must confess, it was the reproduction of the Bayeux Tapestry, and the biscuit tin collection which drew me here, and we had limited time, as we were hoping to visit several other museums that day, so I didn’t spend as much time looking through this section as I would have liked.
On the next floor, we were greeted by a Victorian replica of the Bayeux tapestry, sewn by the ladies of Reading in the 1880s, and it was really rather magnificent, wrapping around the entire room, and captioned appropriately. The Victorian ladies had clearly hoped to preserve our modesty by adding shorts to a naked man in one of the panels, but the tapestry was otherwise a faithful reproduction. Really it was like being in France without the inconvenience of the French, and left me craving a croissant, which I was able to procure from the nicely appointed M&S food hall across the street. Sure, it wasn’t as good as a French croissant would have been, but it was the next best thing to actually trekking out to Normandy. And the Reading Museum has something that Normandy lacks. Biscuits!
Hidden away down a hallway on the top floor is a room devoted to Huntley and Palmers, biscuit manufacturers. I’d never heard of them prior to our visit, but they were apparently quite a large Reading based manufacturer up until the 1970s, and they produced a cunning array of beautifully decorated tins, many of which were on display here, along with other biscuit related paraphernalia. My personal favourites included a biscuit framed picture of Lord Kitchener, a John Ginger pin, designed to promote Ginger Nuts, and of course, the sad eyed kitten biscuit tin. The rest of the floor was devoted to taxidermy (always a treat), the Romans, a reproduction Victorian schoolroom, and some random Victorian oil paintings that had been mounted haphazardly on the wall.
I realise this review perhaps sounds a bit tongue in cheek, as this is my usual tone, but honestly, I thought this museum was pretty rad. I don’t know if I would plan a whole trip on the basis of seeing it, but if you’re anywhere in the area, it’s definitely worth a look. The tapestry is genuinely impressive, and you can tell the entire collection was assembled with love. Plus, it’s free, and they even sell the aforementioned Huntley and Palmers biscuits in the gift shop (fresh ones, as they have since resumed production in Suffolk). I bought some of the «seriously knobbly» dark and milk chocolate ones, and they were indeed «moreish» as promised on the packet. All in all, a great way to pass a rainy afternoon in charming surroundings.

Reading (pronounced like the color, red-​ing) is no London, but it does have history and culture. Those are collected here, in the Museum of Reading. Going all the way back to the 8^th century, the displays here walk you through the ages of the city. I found it very educational and enlightening.
Through the old days, up to the modern days of the city that really acce