Year of Norman-themed events planned for Reading

A series of events will be held in Reading to mark the anniversary of William the Conqueror's birth in a bid to "spread the word" about the town's history.

It follows the British Museum selling a record 100,000 tickets to its new Bayeux Tapestry exhibition on the first day of sales.

Next year Reading's tourism bosses hope to benefit from interest in the period as part of events tied to the European year of the Normans.

Alex Brannen from Reading's Economy and Destination Agency (REDA) said it was a chance to show the town's history to people "throughout the county".

The town's links to William the Conqueror include the abbey founded by his son Henry I, as well as Reading Museum's full-scale replica of the Bayeux Tapestry, stitched by 35 women more than 140 years ago.

Among the projects planned are the Rabble Theatre's new stage production telling the life of William the Conqueror in Autumn 2027.

Brannen said there were other projects in the works and it was "a great chance to put Reading on the map".

He said they had been seeing "more visitors than ever coming to Reading to see its history and I think having next year's millennium celebrations of William the Conqueror will just add to that".

The Rabble Theatre play will showcase the Battle of Hastings and the life of William the Conqueror.

It will take place at the Reading Hexagon after the venue received £2m from Arts Council England to revamp the space to be ready for next year.

Artistic Director Toby Davies said this project had taken years to plan and he hoped people not only in Reading but also further afield would see it.

He added: "The interest that we're seeing at the moment, having just announced, is really, really encouraging."