Category Archives: Story of Wokingham

Story of Wokingham is a category which stores articles about the general aspects of Wokingham life.

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

Posted in All Posts, Jim Bell's Wokingham History, Story of Wokingham | Leave a comment

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

Posted in All Posts, Story of Wokingham | 19 Comments

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

Posted in All Posts, Jim Bell's Wokingham History, Story of Wokingham | Leave a comment

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

Posted in All Posts, Story of Wokingham | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Aspects of World War One, Jim Bell's Wokingham History, Story of Wokingham | 2 Comments

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

Posted in All Posts, Story of Wokingham | 1 Comment

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

Posted in All Posts, Story of Wokingham | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Jim Bell's Wokingham History, Story of Wokingham | 2 Comments

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

Posted in Story of Wokingham | Leave a comment

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

Posted in All Posts, Jim Bell's Wokingham History, Story of Wokingham | Leave a comment