Friar Street, Reading
Friar Street is a thoroughfare in the English town of Reading. It runs parallel to Broad Street, connected by Union Street, Queen [Victoria Street, Reading|Queen Victoria Street] and Cross Street. At the western end is the Greyfriars Church and at the eastern end are the Reading [Town Hall|Town Hall] and St Laurence's Church.
History
Excavations carried out on Friar Street in 1997 at the location of a proposed extension Marks and Spencer store by the Oxford Archaeological Unit revealed successive layers of old buildings, some of which date back to the 13th century.The Frank Matcham-designed Royal County Theatre, built in 1895, was located on the south side of Friar Street. It burned down in 1937.
The opening of a Sainsbury's supermarket in 1963 led to the closure of many smaller shops.