The Rising Sun is Reading’s independent arts centre, it is a registered charity, with the core work of the centre being done by volunteers. The centre works to promote arts and creative activity in the community, and has been doing so for over 25 years.
The Architect Alfred Waterhouse, who also designed the Reading Town Hall and The Natural History Museum in London, built the Rising Sun in 1877 as a Temperance House. The Centre at that time was situated in one of Reading’s most notorious districts. The grade two listed building first became an Arts Centre in 1990 when it was taken over by a group of artists, as squatters. Their actions saved it from its near derelict state and created a community-based arts venue, which has flourished ever since. Between being a temperance house at an arts venue, it was a storehouse for a garden centre.
Visit their website to find out what’s on this week!