Greyfriars Church is an evangelical Anglican church in the town centre of Reading, Berkshire, and in the Diocese of Oxford, UK.
It was originally built by the Franciscans in 1311. It was used after 1538 as a hospital, poorhouse and eventually a town jail until its restoration as a church in 1863.
It is now a centre of Christian worship and Bible teaching where all are welcome.
The Church was built by the Franciscans in 1311 and was restored to Christian worship 140 years ago, after a long interval following the sacking of the monasteries by Henry VIII. It is a Grade 1 listed building, being the oldest Franciscan Church still used for worship in the UK.
In 2000 the interior of the church was reordered and modernised, giving moveable seating,
a baptistery and a semi-circular raised dais allowing for flexibility in the way the church
building is used.
|
|
|
Attached to the Church is the West End, which was added 35 years ago to form an entrance
foyer and semi-circular lounge with seating for 100-150. There is also a small kitchen
and toilets.
The Greyfriars Centre, adjacent to the Church, was completed in 1983 and consists of a general purpose hall for sports and other activities, a coffee lounge with kitchen, bookshop, two meeting rooms, the Church office, toilets and showers.
A refurbished Victorian hall seating approximately 50 opens both to the north side of the Church and to Sackville Street. It can be divided into three rooms.
The Vicarage
In 2006 a new Vicarage was purchased in West Reading. Previously the Vicarage was next door to the church. It had been re-built in 1961/62 with the outward appearance of the original Georgian town house, but with a modern interior.
The old Vicarage building and gardens have now been purchased by the congregation of Greyfriars to be used for the mission of the church. It has been fully refurbished as a Children's Day Nursery, which opened its doors to the first children early in October 2006.
