Butler's Wine Vaults is a Grade II listed building in the Reading local planning authority area, England. First listed on 14 December 1978. Public house. 6 related planning applications.

Butler's Wine Vaults

WRENN ID
strange-vestry-indigo
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Reading
Constituency
Reading Central MP: Matt Rodda (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
14 December 1978
Type
Public house
Address
Butler's Wine Vaults, 85-91, Chatham Street, RG1 7DS
OS grid reference
SU 708 735
Coordinates
51.4561, -0.98097
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

Butler's Wine Vaults is a public house established in 1830, featuring a two-storey design that may date from the same period. The building is constructed of brick and topped with a slate roof, presenting five bays, four of which are rendered. The three central bays are designed as a 'pub front', with a quoined bay on the left and a parapet that includes two pedimented panels.

The left bay features a round-headed sash window on the first floor, which has marginal glazing, an eared architrave, and a panel above. The ground floor boasts a well-preserved shop front from the period, characterized by heavy side piers and brackets, a central entrance, and arcaded windows. The two main bays on the first floor are flanked by outer pilasters capped with acanthus leaves and contain two late glazing bar sash windows topped with segmental pediments. These windows are adorned with high relief carvings of fruit and flowers, supported by acanthus-capped pilasters.

A notable feature of the 'pub front' is the six-sided central moulded panel displaying the traditional Old Reading Abbey sign, which has been restored. The ground floor beneath this panel includes the typical two entrances, six-panelled pilasters with acanthus caps, and two central windows. There is also a dray entrance to the left and a window for the dwelling and bar extension to the right.

Local climate

Butler's Wine Vaults sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 730 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 80% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 73% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 34 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 53% of listed buildings. Of these, 14 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 6 applications
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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