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Wokingham Baptist Church Memorial The local Baptist Church in Milton Road is housed in a beautiful building first opened in… Read more…
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Bearwood Roll of Honour, St Catherine's Church.
Every now again we come across seemingly small pieces of information, which suddenly provides insights into the changing attitude to… Read more…
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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… Read more…
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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…
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Cecil and Ken discuss the schools which existed in the first half of the 20th Century. Cecil: "In 1914, when… Read more…
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Wokingham's news from The Mercury 1913-1923
Jim Bell continues his journey to provide us with an overview of Wokingham during the 19th and 20th centuries. This… Read more…
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For me, this is possibly the most fascinating and the saddest part of the research. Once we discovered the stories… Read more…
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Great Britain: Changing into the 20th Century (Part Three and conclusion).
Joshua Allerton completes his look at changing Britain with the War's role in women's suffrage. It is commonly believed that… Read more…
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Names on St Paul's Church Memorial: St Paul's Church was built by John Walter, entirely at his own expense, during… Read more…
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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…
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Recent Posts
Category Archives: Story of Wokingham
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
The true story of Berkshire's California
This week’s contributor is Trevor Ottlewski; researcher, author and Chairman of the Wokingham History Group. Trevor has a wide knowledge of local history and specialises in the area’s historic buildings. (This article originally appeared in the Wokingham Paper 24th July … 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
1857 Wokingham Elections: Tories and Whigs at war
This article originally published in 1st May Wokingham Paper 2015. In this week’s edition of ‘Wokingham Remembers’ we turn our attention to Wokingham’s contribution to the national General Election of 1857. Our story is about two political parties vying for … 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
A story of the unexpected: Wokingham's Town Hall Memorial.
The War Memorial in Wokingham’s Town Hall provides 217 names of men who fell during the Great War. It is natural to assume the names are made up of all the Fallen who came from around the Wokingham town area. … Continue reading
It's 1860 and Wokingham's new Town Hall opens for business
Wokingham’s Town Hall was completed in 1860; the scale of its structure dominates the surrounding shops and offices. The history books tell us it was opened by Richard Cornwallis Neville, the 4th Lord Baybrooke. It all sounds rather dry, but … 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
St Paul's Church Memorial
Names on St Paul’s Church Memorial: St Paul’s Church was built by John Walter, entirely at his own expense, during the period 1862-1864. It was consecrated by Bishop Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop of Oxford, on 23rd July 1864. For various reasons … 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