A new public art trail across two University of Reading campuses is celebrating 100 years of the University through the stories, photographs and memories of the people who have shaped it.
The Centenary Memories Window Trail: A Window into Our Past features 15 specially dressed windows across the Whiteknights and London Road campuses, each displaying personal memories gathered from staff, students, alumni and supporters from around the world.
Collected through a series of listening activities launched in June 2025, the displays capture what the University has meant to its community across the generations. From life in halls and graduation days, to the campus landscapes and global connections that have defined the Reading experience.
Together, they bring a century of community memories to life.
Accompanying the trail is a specially commissioned artwork by Jessica Brauner, an emerging Reading-based artist. The piece was commissioned through Jelly, an arts organisation that supports early-career talent in the region. Brauner’s work draws on memories gathered during the project and highlights from the University’s archive, creating a piece designed to layer different times and spaces into a single visual whole.
Speaking of the artwork, Brauner said: “I enjoyed making the artwork that is designed to be placed on windows, representing and assembling ethereal layers of different times and spaces on a unique canvas.”
‘A moment to reflect’
Professor Robert van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said: “Our centenary is a moment to reflect on the people who have made this University what it is, and this trail does exactly that.
“The memories on display remind us that our greatest achievement over the past 100 years has been the community we have built together: students, staff, alumni and local people whose stories are woven into the fabric of this institution. As we look to the century ahead, it is that community, and the connections it nurtures, that will continue to drive everything we do.”
The trail is free and open to the public. It can be viewed in person on both campuses until December 2026. It is also available to explore online via the University’s Special Collections website, alongside a map of the trail route.
The Centenary Memories Window Trail was funded through the University’s £250,000 Centenary Grant Scheme. It forms part of the University’s wider programme of events and activities marking 100 years since the granting of its Royal Charter in 1926.
Further events are planned throughout the year, including the Centenary Community Festival and a range of heritage and public engagement activities.
More information about the University’s celebrations for 2026 can be found on the centenary website.
