Reading Abbey restoration: Ruins to open in summer

Public access to the ruins at Reading Abbey was closed in 2009

A 900-year-old ruins will reopen to the public this summer following a £3.15m restoration project.

The ruins of Reading Abbey will open in June, nine years after it was closed.

Safety concerns, including "poor and rapidly deteriorating walls", led to the town centre structure being shut by the council in 2009.

The reopening ceremony on 16 June will be at the centre of this year's Water Fest, Reading's annual celebration of the town's waterways.

The three-year conservation project was financed by Reading Borough Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

A display unveiled earlier at Reading Museum highlights the history of the Abbey before its closure in 1539.