Categories
-
Posts
-
BBC Radio Berkshire interview with Wokingham Remembers
On the 13th September 2014, Wokingham Remembers was invited to discuss its findings since its launch in 2011. The stories… Read more…
-
An introduction to visiting the battlefields of the Great War.
Sarah starts this series of articles of her family's experiences on visiting the battlefields of the First World War. During… Read more…
-
Film of the Wokingham men we lost in 1914
What was the impact of World War One on Wokingham in 1914? Here is a short film which shows the… Read more…
-
Wokingham Families: The Purseys, Brants, Rances and Alexanders
Wokingham Families and the Great War. Recalling the 1914-18 war often involves descriptions of military strategy and the bewildering numbers… Read more…
-
1830 – Wokingham fights back against arson attacks
By Jim Bell (this article first appeared in the Wokingham Paper 24th April 2015) When I first started to research… Read more…
-
Cecil Culver's Wokingham. Three: Fun, Friendship, Fraternity.
Jim Bell's final instalment of the life of Cecil Culver tells us about how the Wokingham community organised its leisure and the… Read more…
-
Cecil and Ken in Conversation 1996. By Jim Bell
Jim Bell: "Cecil’s reminiscences are taken from three interviews by his old friend and historian, Ken Goatley. The first two… Read more…
-
1919: The British keep fighting.
Here is a story from the author's own family history. Tracing our own ancestry can provide real insights into some… Read more…
-
Today Sunday 14th September. Meet us at the Town Hall from 11am
Today is Wokingham's Heritage Day and this year we examine the research put together by many of Wokingham's local history… Read more…
-
Hills Nicholson family: Four sons lost in two World Wars
The Nicholson family have no Wokingham street or building named after them and have sunk below the consciousness of today's… Read more…
-
-
Recent Posts
Category Archives: Jim Bell’s Wokingham History
1856: Cholera arrives in Wokingham
Flush the loo, turn on the taps and wash your hands; a simple act which came from decades of debate on the diseases and deaths which accompanied everyday life in Victorian Britain. Thanks go to Jim Bell for uncovering the … Continue reading
George Henry PRICE, Poulterer 52 Peach Street (1857 – 1925)
We’re very grateful for the article provided by Diane Johansen in which she tells us about her Great Grand Uncle’s life and his death in Peach Street, Wokingham. We so often know about the buildings and the community who lived … Continue reading
1860: Wokingham opens the New Town Hall
Jim Bell is renowned for the 30 short books he has written on Wokingham. In this article Jim tells the story of how the Wokingham Town Hall was built and a fascinating tale of an old silk weaver from the … Continue reading
The double life of Arthur Hill, 6th Marquess of Downshire
By Jim Bell. This article first appeared in ‘The Wokingham Paper’, 24th April 2015 A young man sits holding the reins of a horse drawn fire engine. He is the chief of Wokingham’s voluntary fire service and also just happens … Continue reading
Where They Lived
For me, this is possibly the most fascinating and the saddest part of the research. Once we discovered the stories of the men, we started pinning their addresses to a modern map of Wokingham. Although we suspected that they would … Continue reading
Wokingham 1914
Wokingham news throughout 1914 Jim Bell transcribes the Wokingham news section from the Reading Mercury throughout the whole of 1914. It is a remarkable insight to a small town assisting the war effort, reporting on its awful consequences, but at … Continue reading
Cecil and Ken in Conversation 1996. By Jim Bell
Jim Bell: “Cecil’s reminiscences are taken from three interviews by his old friend and historian, Ken Goatley. The first two were recorded on audio tape in 1996 when he described his life and reminisced about Wokingham during the first twenty-five … Continue reading
The local historians who pointed to Wokingham's Future
Edna Goatley passed away on Wednesday the 3rd April 2013 at the age 86 years. Her funeral takes place at Easthampstead Crematorium on Thursday 18th April at 11am. By Mike Churcher This is not an obituary, the Wokingham Times already … Continue reading
Another casualty of the Great War: Wokingham's Mayor.
Our focus on the government of the Great War tends to be at national level, but Jim Bell’s extensive research has enabled us to look into local government from a Wokingham viewpoint. His latest book ‘Memories of the Town Hall’ … Continue reading
1919 Victory ! Wokingham celebrates.
Local Historian, Jim Bell unearths this extensive coverage of Wokingham’s Armistice Celebrations: “On Saturday, Wokingham duly celebrated the peace. The proceedings commenced at 7 a.m., when peals were rung on the church bells. At 10 a.m. the town band commenced to … Continue reading