Summary

Commemorative cross, designed by Spencer Slingsby-Stallwood and erected in 1887.

Description

Commemorative cross, designed by Spencer Slingsby-Stallwood and erected in 1887. Restored in 2023.

MATERIALS: the monument is constructed of Portland stone with a lower base of red brick.

DESCRIPTION: the cross is designed in a Gothic Revival style. It comprises a tapering octagonal shaft with a crocketed and canopied pinnacle capped by a cross. Beneath the cross is a stepped, octagonal base, the uppermost part has floral carvings and bears the inscription: ‘By Thy Cross and Passion Good Lord Deliver Us’. The Gothic blind tracery which decorates the lower body features shields showing the arms of Harrinson, the Borough of Reading, the Diocese of Salisbury and the Diocese of Oxford. The lower part of the base comprises four octagonal plain steps. On the western face of the top step is the faint outline of metal lettering, now lost, which originally read: ‘Erected / by public subscription to record the munificence of / ISAAC HARRINSON Esq. / by which the improvements in St. Mary’s Butts / were brought to a successful completion / A. D. 1887 / The year of the Jubilee of Queen Victoria.’ Beneath the lowermost stone step are two courses of brickwork laid in header bond.

History

The crossroads formed by the north-south route of St Mary’s Butts/Bridge Street and the east-west route of Gun Street/Castle Street is believed to be the centre of the original Saxon settlement at Reading, established sometime before the ninth century, with the lowest crossing point of the River Kennet lying a short distance away to the south. Reading was well-established by the time of the Norman Conquest, and the Domesday Book (1086) records six mills and a large estate in the town. St Mary’s Church, which lies on the northeast corner of the crossroads and was mostly rebuilt in 1551-1555, was the town’s primary church until the establishment of Reading Abbey in the C12 and became so again following the dissolution in the late 1530s. The church and churchyard were extensively ‘restored’ and ‘improved’ during the late nineteenth century, with a row of buildings along the western side of the churchyard demolished to create the open relationship between the churchyard and St Mary’s Butts seen today.

The memorial cross in the churchyard of the Church of St Mary was designed by the Reading-based architect, Spencer Slingsby-Stallwood (1842/43-1922), and was erected in 1887, as a monument to jointly mark the completion of improvements to the churchyard and the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The cross was funded by local subscription to mark the significant donation by the local surgeon, Dr Isaac Harrinson (1810-1888), who paid for much of the improvement of the churchyard and for additions to the church. This work included the purchase and demolition of the row of dilapidated almshouses that stood on the western side of the churchyard and were subsequently replaced by the Vachel Almshouses on nearby Castle Street. The monument was unveiled on 19 December 1887, the year of the Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The monument was restored as part of the Reading High Street Heritage Action Zone programme of works in 2023.

Reasons for Listing

The Harrinson Testimonial Cross (also known as the Jubilee Cross), erected in 1887 in the Church of St Mary's Churchyard, Reading, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as a well-detailed, late-C19 memorial designed by the noted architect Spencer Slingsby-Stallwood, which contributes to the character of an architecturally varied historic streetscape.

Historic interest:

* as a testament to the philanthropic provision of public sculpture which has contributed to the historic urban development of Reading's ancient core.

Group value:

* the memorial is in close proximity to a large number of listed buildings, including the Grade I-listed Church of St Mary, and other listed monuments in the churchyard.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26407440

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2