Junction Arch Heritage & Arts

Working to bring the entrance to Reading Old Cemetery into community use as a space for heritage and arts

We’re a social enterprise with a mission to restore the historic Arch at the entrance to Reading Old Cemetery and repurpose it and the area immediately behind as a community heritage and arts hub.

APPEAL FOR FUNDS

We’re currently working on applying for grants to fund essential repair work on the Arch and bring it into a usable state.

In the meantime, if you could donate a few pounds to support our campaign, that would be extremely helpful.

If you would be willing to donate a larger amount, please email nick@junctionarch.org.

Thank you!

The STATE OF THE ARCH

In 2023 we became increasingly concerned about the deteriorating state of the Arch, especially its Bath stonework, so commissioned local specialists A F Jones Stonemasons to carry out a survey.

The survey report revealed that portions of the building’s fabric were in ‘imminent danger of collapse’ and that remedial work should be carried out immediately to save the building. We shared the survey report with Reading Borough Council, which prompted them to carry out their own structural survey in November 2023. In March 2024, the council erected safety fencing at the front of the Arch to protect passers-by and users of the cemetery from the risk of being hit by falling masonry.

Back in February 2021 we commissioned a survey from KRP Engineering, looking at the structural condition of the Arch aside from the stonework. This investigated the condition of the foundations, the steel internal framework and the roof, accessed by a cherry picker. It concluded that these elements of the building were in good condition. Despite the deterioration of the stonework, conversations with relevant professionals suggest that this is likely still the case.

Our Plans

We are in contractual negotiations with the current owners of the Arch, Reading Borough Council, to:

buy the Arch and the land immediately behind
carry out essential repairs to make the Arch structurally safe
create a welcoming heritage and arts led community venue

We were hoping to secure funding to add minimal impact structures behind the Arch, to form a garden café and a flexible meeting room/gallery space. However, our plans have evolved as we have discovered more about the potential funding available and the expenses involved in restoring the historic building.

Once the Arch is structurally safe, we are now planning to create a community café in the North Lodge, with display space for heritage and art exhibitions. The upstairs room would be available for hire and there would be additional café seating outside.

The South Lodge would be available to let as office space, to provide an income stream to support the community venue. We would prioritise applications from charities, community groups, social enterprises or small creative businesses.

The former shower block would be brought back into use as toilets with disabled access and changing facilities and we are exploring the possibility of adding a household products refill station.

Eventually we aim to fully restore the stonework, bringing the iconic Arch back to its former glory.

COMMUNITY SURVEYS

In October 2022 we held a community consultation to get feedback on our plans for restoring the Arch and repurposing it as a space for the community. We had more than 100 responses, mostly supportive of our plans overall, several including some great ideas and points, which we took into consideration.

In June 2024 we carried out a simpler community survey to gauge local support for our current, slightly less ambitious plans. This time we received 122 responses from a wide range of people. Support was strong for all our suggestions, though there was less enthusiasm for affordable community office space.

Project ideas

AUGMENTED REALITY PROJECT

We plan to develop a mobile phone app that will enable visitors to step back in time to see the area around the Arch as it was in the past. It will feature the cemetery as it was in the 1850s, the gallows that stood at the junction before the cemetery was built and the leper hospital that we believe stood nearby in the 11th century.

As part of this project we will carry out detailed research into the buildings in the Junction, including ones that are no longer standing, and investigate other immersive ways to share what we discover.

ART THROUGH THE ARCH PROJECT

This will include sketching and painting workshops by local artists in the cemetery and around the Junction, the results of which will be exhibited at the Arch.

It will also feature an exhibition of work by local sculptors. The sculptures could be placed around the cemetery, to surprise and intrigue visitors.

COMMUNITY HISTORY PROJECT

This will be centred around an aural history project, capturing the memories of older residents of the Junction area, past and present, before they are lost.