Brock Keep

Come and see artworks on show and join tours around the historic former armoury and gatehouse which is home to artist studios and a contemporary art gallery.

Brock Keep, completed in 1877, is a fine example of the Victorian keeps, built to aid recruitment and to increase local pride. They provided a ceremonial gatehouse, guardroom, fire engine house, and secure storage for arms, ammunition and soldiers' kit. They were designed by distinguished architect Major H C Seddon of the Royal Engineers.



Reading’s Keep is one of the surviving few that have not been demolished or converted. It is grade II listed and is particularly special because of its setting next door to the Lutyens War Memorial and its original Army Depot that is still occupied by the 7th Battalion the Rifles. Its original features are well preserved.



Since 1980 it has been used for artists' studios and exhibition space for many artists, run by the independent organisation OpenHand OpenSpace. In the early 1980s, the ground floor was also used as a shelter for homeless people.