Local Places - Caversham Court

Caversham Court Gardens are of national importance and are listed in the English Heritage Gardens Register. The Gardens are open to the public every day, except Christmas Day, 8am to dusk. The Gardens' gazebo and vaults are open when a gardener is on site, and special events are sometimes held as well (see our 'events' page for updated details).

An informative website concerning the Gardens can be found here. The website is maintained by the Friends of Caversham Court Gardens (FCCG), a local organisation that assists the RBC to achieve its aims for the Gardens by encouraging public interest and involvement.

The history of Caversham Court and its Gardens goes back to the 12th century when a Rectory was built there for St Peter's Church. However it was found more profitable to lease the house to a layman who was responsible for providing a priest. The building was damaged during the Civil War when in 1642 Caversham was caught between the armies of Charles 1 and of Cromwell.

The yew hedge was palnted in the 17th century. Around 1840 the Simonds family, Reading's banking and brewing family, built a splendid Gothic mansion and renamed it Caversham Court. In the early 20th century the house had several owners and gradually declined until it was bought by the local authority in 1933. The house was demolished and the grounds were opened to the public in 1934.

During the Second World War the allotments were established for the 'Dig for Victory' campaign. Public air-raid shelters (Anderson Shelters) were built in the Gardens - you can see one of these near the entrance.

In 2006 Reading Borough Council won funding from the Heritage Lottery for the restoration of these historic gardens. Refurbishment started in September 2008 and the Gardens were refurbished with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. They were reopened in August 2009.

Amongst the restoration's achievements, the site's gazebo was refurbished, the vinery was excavated, and the site's pond and vaults were rediscovered.

In 2010 the Gardens won four awards - 'Green Flag', 'Green Heritage Site', 'Britain in Bloom Best Regional Park in the Thames and Chiltern region' and a British Association of Landscape Industries national award for restoration.