Reading Abbey photos
Adjacent to Forbury Gardens (see the post below) is the Reading Abbey (Catholic Encyclopedia and Wikipedia entries). As is the case with information plaques at Abbey ruins throughout Britain, the tragic period of death and destruction brought on by Henry VIII is referred to by the antiseptic term "suppression of the monasteries." There were a few encouraging exceptions to this trend, but even those tended to regret the loss of architectural treasures more than the human and spiritual cost.
