Hospitium of St John the Baptist, Medieval pilgrim dormitory in Reading, England
The Hospitium of St John the Baptist was a lodging building for pilgrims next to Reading Abbey in England. It dates from the late 15th century and still contains remains from that period.
The building was founded in the 12th century to receive pilgrims traveling to the abbey. By the 17th century it began serving as the town hall before eventually being lost to time.
The building shows how travelers were housed when visiting the abbey in medieval times. The rooms were arranged so that many people could sleep and eat together.
The site lies beside a churchyard and is not freely accessible today as it functions as an office building and nursery. Visitors can view the exterior of the building from the surrounding streets.
The dining hall of this building was used as Reading's town hall for several centuries. This dual purpose shows how important the site became for community life.
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