Riverside Museum at Blake's Lock

Riverside Museum at Blake's Lock sits beside the Kennet where it meets the Thames in Reading. The Screen House and the Turbine House, two 19th-century buildings, shelter its displays. The riverside location keeps the story close to the water it describes. Inside, exhibits trace human activity on the Kennet and Thames through the centuries. Panels explain medieval bargemen’s routines and later changes to the locks. Temporary art shows add colour and new ideas each season. Outside, the Kennet’s flow past the lock gates can be watched from the doorstep. The Thames begins a short distance downstream, its wider waters visible beyond the junction. The Environment Agency manages this stretch as part of the Thames network.