Wokingham
Encyclopedia
Wokingham is a market town
and civil parish in Berkshire
in South East
England
about 33 miles (53.1 km) west of central London
. It is about 7 miles (11.3 km) east-southeast of Reading
and 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Bracknell
. It spans an area of 557 acre (0.870313269507635 sq mi) and, according to the 2001 census
, has a population of 30,403. It is the seat of the Borough of Wokingham.
Before 1844, the north of the parish of Wokingham was part of a detached portion, or exclave, of the county of Wiltshire
, the border of which is some 30 miles (48.3 km) to the west. The Counties (Detached Parts) Act
of that year resulted in its transfer to the county of Berkshire.
Wokingham was a borough
before the 1974 reorganisation of local government
, when it merged with Wokingham Rural District to form the new Wokingham District. What had been Wokingham Borough became Wokingham Town, but retained its mayor. The District Council applied for borough status
, which was granted and came into force on 9 March 2007. As of this date, the District (which stretches from the Buckinghamshire
and Oxfordshire
borders in the north to the Hampshire
border in the southwest) has also been able to elect a mayor
.
The formerly important industry of brick-making has given way to software development
, light engineering
and service industries.
In 2007 Halifax Estate Agents ranked the Borough of Wokingham as the number one place to live in the United Kingdom
.
chieftain who also owned lands at Wokefield
in Berkshire and Woking
in Surrey
. In Victorian times, it was known as Oakingham and the acorn
with oak
leaves is the town's symbol. The Wheelwrights were the first family to found the town and give it the name of Wokingham. At first it was part of Sandhurst until the Wheelwrights bought the rights and privileges of the Wokingham area.
The courts of Windsor Forest were held at Wokingham and the town had the right to hold a market
from 1219. The Bishop of Salisbury
was largely responsible for the growth of the town during this period. He set out roads and plots making them available for rent. There are records showing that in 1258 he bought the rights to hold three town fairs every year. Queen Elizabeth
granted a town charter in 1583. From the 14th to the 16th centuries, Wokingham was well-known for its bell foundry
which supplied many churches across the South of England.
During the Tudor period, Wokingham was well known as a producer of silk. Some of the houses involved in these cottage industries are still to be seen in Rose Street. The houses with the taller ground floors housed the looms. This can be seen from the position of the exterior beams of the houses. It is said that one of the original Mulberry
bushes (favourite food of the silk worm), still remains in one of the gardens.
Wokingham was the first town in the South East to feature a bearded lady riding a bear, the lady named Steve had several attributes that made him unique including 2 heads
Wokingham was once famous for its bull-baiting
. In 1661 George Staverton left a bequest in his will giving two bulls to be tethered in the Market Place and baited by dogs on St. Thomas
' Day (21 December) each year. The bulls were paraded around the town a day or two before the event and then locked in the yard of the original Rose Inn which was situated on the site of the present-day Superdrug store. People travelled from miles around to see the dangerous spectacle. A number of dogs would be maimed or killed during the event and the bulls were eventually destroyed. The meat and leather were distributed amongst the poor people of the town. Some of the spectators also sustained fatal injuries. In 1794 on the morning after the bull-baiting Elizabeth North was found dead and covered with bruises. In 1808 55 year-old Martha May died after being hurt by fighters in the crowd. The cruel 'sport' was prohibited by the Corporation in 1821 but bulls were still provided at Christmas and the meat distributed to the poor. Bull-baiting was banned by Act of Parliament in 1833.
In the years 1643-44 Wokingham was regularly raided by both sides in the Civil War
. These raids would involve the looting of livestock and trading goods, and over thirty buildings were burnt down, accounting for nearly 20% of buildings in the town at that time. It was not until the early 18th century that Wokingham had fully recovered.
In 1723, the 'Black Act
' was passed in Parliament
to make it an offence to black one's face to commit criminal acts. It was named after an infamous band of ruffians, known as the 'Wokingham Blacks', who terrorised the local area until 29 of them were arrested after fighting a pitched battle with Grenadier Guards
in Bracknell
.
, a detached part of Wiltshire
. This area extended well into the town centre (and the area currently where the Dowlesgreen, Norreys and Bean Oak estates currently are situated) until transferred to Berkshire
in 1844. The ancient parish was divided in 1894 into urban and rural civil parishes, Wokingham Without
forming the latter.
Wokingham was one of the boroughs left unreformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835
, and was reformed subsequently in 1883. Wokingham merged with the Wokingham Rural District
in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972
to form the non-metropolitan district of Wokingham, which has been a unitary authority area
since 1998. It consists of 54 elected councillors and is presided over by one councillor who is elected annually to be the chairman of the council. Elections to the council
are held in three out of every four years, with the Conservative party
having had a majority since the 2002 election
. The Borough Council Offices are based at Shute End in the town of Wokingham.
A successor parish
continued in existence in Wokingham and is governed by Wokingham Town Council. The council is elected every four years and consists of twenty-five councillor
s representing Emmbrook, Evendons, Norreys and Wescott, the four wards of the town. Every year, they elect one of their number as mayor
. The present town hall was erected in 1860 on the site of the guild
hall.
The Wokingham constituency's MP is the Conservative John Redwood
and he has represented the town since 1987.
in the Loddon Valley
in central Berkshire situated 33 miles (53.1 km) west of central London
. It sits between the larger towns of Reading
and Bracknell and was originally in a band of agricultural land on the western edge of Windsor Forest
. Suburb
s include Emmbrook
, Matthewsgreen, Dowlesgreen, Woosehill, Limmerhill and Eastheath. Older names include Woodcray and Luckley Green.
The soil
is a rich loam
with a subsoil
of sand
and gravel
.
Wokingham currently consists of the town centre, with main residential areas radiating in all directions. These include Woosehill
to the west, Emmbrook to the northwest, Dowlesgreen, Norreys
, Keephatch and Bean Oak to the east and to the south Wescott and Eastheath.
Much of Wokingham has been developed over the past 80 years. Woosehill and Dowlesgreen were built on farmland in the late 1960s and early '70s, along with Bean Oak. Keephatch was built in the early '90s. The Norreys Estate
was built in the 1960s; however, Norreys Avenue is the oldest residential road in that area, having been built in the late 1940s as emergency housing following the Second World War. Norreys Avenue has a horseshoe shape and occupies the site of the demolished Norreys Manor. Much of the road contains 1940s-style prefabricated houses, although there are some brick houses along with three blocks of 1950s police houses.
In 2010, the council set up WEL (Wokingham Enterprise Limited) to manage a £100m regeneration project to redevelop the town centre with new retail, leisure and residential facilities, parking, roads and open spaces.http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/council/news-and-events/latest-news/wokingham-town-centre-regeneration-scheme/?locale=en
Several major expansion projects around the town are planned over the next decade, including on land to the north and south, and at the former military base at nearby Arborfield
Garrison.
, London Waterloo and Gatwick Airport run from Wokingham railway station
. There are three level crossing
s in Wokingham (the Star Lane crossing on Easthampstead Road, the Waterloo crossing on Waterloo Road and the crossing on Barkham Road). These have been scenes of fatalities in 2007, 2008 and 2010, see list of level crossing accidents.
Most local bus services are provided by First Group but the Sunday and bank holiday
services from Wokingham to Reading are operated by Courtney Coaches
.
and St Crispin's School
are mixed-sex comprehensive school
s, both of which have specialist status as Maths and Computing Colleges
. The Holt School
, founded in 1931 in the Dower House of Beche's Manor, is a girls' school and is a specialist Language College
and Science College. The Forest School
is a boys' school and is a specialist Business and Enterprise College
. It is in Winnersh
but it shares the same catchment area as the Holt and the majority of the pupils are from Wokingham - A small number of Wokingham pupils gain places at Reading School
and Kendrick School
, the two single-sex grammar school
s in Reading.
The University of Reading
's main campus at Whiteknights is situated approximately 6 miles (9.5 km) to the northwest of Wokingham.
was written in Wokingham. Molly was the barmaid daughter of the publican of the old Rose Inn (not on the site of the present one). She was well-known to local Binfield
man, Alexander Pope
, who, during a storm, found himself stranded at the inn with his friends, Gay
, Swift
and Arbuthnot
. They wrote the ballad extolling her virtues to pass the time.
The character of Tom the chimney sweep
in Charles Kingsley
's classic childhood story The Water Babies
was based on the life and times of a Wokingham boy called James Seaward, who was a boy sweep in Victorian times
. In his later years Seaward swept the chimneys at Charles Kingsley's home at the Rectory in Eversley
, Hampshire
. Seaward was elected Alderman
of Wokingham from 1909 until his death in 1921. He had 12 children and many of his descendants still live locally. The Water Babies are the subject of Wokingham's first public sculpture, installed in 1999, which graces the upper level entrance to Wokingham Library.
The case remains unsolved despite being featured heavily in the national press and on BBC
TVs Crimewatch.
, starring Mia Farrow
and directed by Brian Clemens
, was filmed largely in Wokingham. The railway station can clearly be seen, as can the town centre and the interior of the Old Rose pub.
One of the scenes from Series 3, Episode 7 of the ITV
drama, Primeval
was filmed in the Red Lion pub in the town centre.
One of the Superman Films used the Phoenix Plaza bowling alley in Wokingham for one of its scenes.
The popular TV series The Vicar of Dibley
used the Wokingham town hall as a set in one episode.
Speedway racing was staged at California in Reading. Before then the track, known then as Longmoor was used as a training track. After the war
the track featured in the Southern Area League in the 1950s. The team were known as the Poppies.
The site of the stadium is now part of a nature reserve but a few remnants of the track remain.
with:
— Erftstadt
in Germany
— Viry-Châtillon
in France
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
and civil parish in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
in South East
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
about 33 miles (53.1 km) west of central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
. It is about 7 miles (11.3 km) east-southeast of Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
and 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Bracknell
Bracknell
Bracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...
. It spans an area of 557 acre (0.870313269507635 sq mi) and, according to the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, has a population of 30,403. It is the seat of the Borough of Wokingham.
Before 1844, the north of the parish of Wokingham was part of a detached portion, or exclave, of the county of Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, the border of which is some 30 miles (48.3 km) to the west. The Counties (Detached Parts) Act
Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844
The Counties Act 1844 , which came into effect on 20 October 1844, was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which eliminated many outliers or exclaves of counties in England and Wales for civil purposes....
of that year resulted in its transfer to the county of Berkshire.
Wokingham was a borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
before the 1974 reorganisation of local government
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
, when it merged with Wokingham Rural District to form the new Wokingham District. What had been Wokingham Borough became Wokingham Town, but retained its mayor. The District Council applied for borough status
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
, which was granted and came into force on 9 March 2007. As of this date, the District (which stretches from the Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
and Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
borders in the north to the Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
border in the southwest) has also been able to elect a mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
.
The formerly important industry of brick-making has given way to software development
Software development
Software development is the development of a software product...
, light engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and service industries.
In 2007 Halifax Estate Agents ranked the Borough of Wokingham as the number one place to live in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
History
Wokingham means 'Wocca's people's home'. Wocca was apparently a SaxonSaxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
chieftain who also owned lands at Wokefield
Wokefield
Wokefield is a civil parish in the West Berkshire district of Berkshire, England, south of the borough of Reading. The parish includes the hamlets of Grazeley Green, Goddard's Green and Bloomfield Hatch, and the 18th century mansion of Wokefield Park...
in Berkshire and Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. In Victorian times, it was known as Oakingham and the acorn
Acorn
The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
with oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
leaves is the town's symbol. The Wheelwrights were the first family to found the town and give it the name of Wokingham. At first it was part of Sandhurst until the Wheelwrights bought the rights and privileges of the Wokingham area.
The courts of Windsor Forest were held at Wokingham and the town had the right to hold a market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
from 1219. The Bishop of Salisbury
Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset...
was largely responsible for the growth of the town during this period. He set out roads and plots making them available for rent. There are records showing that in 1258 he bought the rights to hold three town fairs every year. Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
granted a town charter in 1583. From the 14th to the 16th centuries, Wokingham was well-known for its bell foundry
Bellfounding
Bellfounding is the casting of bells in a foundry for use in churches, clocks, and public buildings. A practitioner of the craft is called a bellmaker or bellfounder. The process in Europe dates to the 4th or 5th century. In early times, when a town produced a bell it was a momentous occasion in...
which supplied many churches across the South of England.
During the Tudor period, Wokingham was well known as a producer of silk. Some of the houses involved in these cottage industries are still to be seen in Rose Street. The houses with the taller ground floors housed the looms. This can be seen from the position of the exterior beams of the houses. It is said that one of the original Mulberry
Mulberry
Morus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae. The 10–16 species of deciduous trees it contains are commonly known as Mulberries....
bushes (favourite food of the silk worm), still remains in one of the gardens.
Wokingham was the first town in the South East to feature a bearded lady riding a bear, the lady named Steve had several attributes that made him unique including 2 heads
Wokingham was once famous for its bull-baiting
Bull-baiting
Bull-baiting is a blood sport involving the baiting of bulls.-History:In the time of Queen Anne of Great Britain, bull-baiting was practiced in London at Hockley-in-the-Hole, twice a week – and was reasonably common in the provincial towns...
. In 1661 George Staverton left a bequest in his will giving two bulls to be tethered in the Market Place and baited by dogs on St. Thomas
Thomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for questioning Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in . He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman...
' Day (21 December) each year. The bulls were paraded around the town a day or two before the event and then locked in the yard of the original Rose Inn which was situated on the site of the present-day Superdrug store. People travelled from miles around to see the dangerous spectacle. A number of dogs would be maimed or killed during the event and the bulls were eventually destroyed. The meat and leather were distributed amongst the poor people of the town. Some of the spectators also sustained fatal injuries. In 1794 on the morning after the bull-baiting Elizabeth North was found dead and covered with bruises. In 1808 55 year-old Martha May died after being hurt by fighters in the crowd. The cruel 'sport' was prohibited by the Corporation in 1821 but bulls were still provided at Christmas and the meat distributed to the poor. Bull-baiting was banned by Act of Parliament in 1833.
In the years 1643-44 Wokingham was regularly raided by both sides in the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. These raids would involve the looting of livestock and trading goods, and over thirty buildings were burnt down, accounting for nearly 20% of buildings in the town at that time. It was not until the early 18th century that Wokingham had fully recovered.
In 1723, the 'Black Act
Black Act
The Black Act , was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain passed in 1723 during the reign King George I of Great Britain in response to the Waltham deer poachers and a group of bandits known as the "Wokingham Blacks". It made it a felony to appear armed in a park or warren, or to hunt or steal...
' was passed in Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
to make it an offence to black one's face to commit criminal acts. It was named after an infamous band of ruffians, known as the 'Wokingham Blacks', who terrorised the local area until 29 of them were arrested after fighting a pitched battle with Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
in Bracknell
Bracknell
Bracknell is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Reading, southwest of Windsor and west of central London...
.
Governance
Northern Wokingham, centred on Ashridge, was, archaicallyHistoric counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
, a detached part of Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. This area extended well into the town centre (and the area currently where the Dowlesgreen, Norreys and Bean Oak estates currently are situated) until transferred to Berkshire
Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844
The Counties Act 1844 , which came into effect on 20 October 1844, was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which eliminated many outliers or exclaves of counties in England and Wales for civil purposes....
in 1844. The ancient parish was divided in 1894 into urban and rural civil parishes, Wokingham Without
Wokingham Without
Wokingham Without is a civil parish in the Wokingham district of the English county of Berkshire. It was formed in 1894 when the parish of Wokingham was split into two parts — one rural and one urban....
forming the latter.
Wokingham was one of the boroughs left unreformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835
Municipal Corporations Act 1835
The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 – sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales...
, and was reformed subsequently in 1883. Wokingham merged with the Wokingham Rural District
Wokingham Rural District
Wokingham Rural District was a rural district in the county of Berkshire, England. It was created in 1894. It was named after and administered from Wokingham.Since April 1, 1974 it has formed part of the District of Wokingham....
in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
to form the non-metropolitan district of Wokingham, which has been a unitary authority area
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
since 1998. It consists of 54 elected councillors and is presided over by one councillor who is elected annually to be the chairman of the council. Elections to the council
Wokingham local elections
One third of Wokingham Unitary Council in Berkshire, England is elected each year, followed by one year without election. Since the last boundary changes in 2004, 54 councillors have been elected from 25 wards.-Political control:...
are held in three out of every four years, with the Conservative party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
having had a majority since the 2002 election
Wokingham Council election, 2002
The 2002 Wokingham Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Wokingham Unitary Council in Berkshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.After the election, the composition...
. The Borough Council Offices are based at Shute End in the town of Wokingham.
A successor parish
Successor parish
Successor parishes are civil parishes with a parish council created by the Local Government Act 1972 in England. They replaced, with the same boundaries, a selected group of urban districts and municipal boroughs that were abolished in 1974. Most successor parish councils exercised the right to...
continued in existence in Wokingham and is governed by Wokingham Town Council. The council is elected every four years and consists of twenty-five councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s representing Emmbrook, Evendons, Norreys and Wescott, the four wards of the town. Every year, they elect one of their number as mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
. The present town hall was erected in 1860 on the site of the guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
hall.
The Wokingham constituency's MP is the Conservative John Redwood
John Redwood
John Alan Redwood is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Wokingham. He was formerly Secretary of State for Wales in Prime Minister John Major's Cabinet and was an unsuccessful challenger for the leadership of the Conservative Party in 1995...
and he has represented the town since 1987.
Geography
Wokingham is on the Emm BrookEmm Brook
The Emm Brook, sometimes known as the Embrook or Emmbrook, is a small river in the English county of Berkshire. It is a tributary of the River Loddon which it meets at the village of Hurst.The Wokingham suburb of Emmbrook is named after the river....
in the Loddon Valley
River Loddon
The River Loddon is a river in the English counties of Berkshire and Hampshire. It is a tributary of the River Thames, rising within the urban area of Basingstoke and flowing to meet the Thames near the village of Wargrave...
in central Berkshire situated 33 miles (53.1 km) west of central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
. It sits between the larger towns of Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
and Bracknell and was originally in a band of agricultural land on the western edge of Windsor Forest
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
. Suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s include Emmbrook
Emmbrook, Berkshire
Emmbrook is a suburb of the town of Wokingham in the English county of Berkshire.The suburb takes its name from the Emm Brook, a small river that is a tributary of the River Loddon....
, Matthewsgreen, Dowlesgreen, Woosehill, Limmerhill and Eastheath. Older names include Woodcray and Luckley Green.
The soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
is a rich loam
Loam
Loam is soil composed of sand, silt, and clay in relatively even concentration . Loam soils generally contain more nutrients and humus than sandy soils, have better infiltration and drainage than silty soils, and are easier to till than clay soils...
with a subsoil
Subsoil
Subsoil, or substrata, is the layer of soil under the topsoil on the surface of the ground. The subsoil may include substances such as clay and/or sand that has only been partially broken down by air, sunlight, water, wind etc., to produce true soil...
of sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
and gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
.
Wokingham currently consists of the town centre, with main residential areas radiating in all directions. These include Woosehill
Woosehill
Woosehill is a suburb of Wokingham in the English county of BerkshireWoosehill - spelled incorrectly as Woose Hill on Ordnance Survey maps - is the north-western region of Wokingham, adjoining Embrook. The Emm Brook forms its eastern boundary and the Bearwood Road its western boundary, past the...
to the west, Emmbrook to the northwest, Dowlesgreen, Norreys
Norreys
Norreys may refer to various members of, or estates belonging to, a landed family chiefly seated in the English counties of Berkshire and Lancashire and the Irish county of Cork....
, Keephatch and Bean Oak to the east and to the south Wescott and Eastheath.
Much of Wokingham has been developed over the past 80 years. Woosehill and Dowlesgreen were built on farmland in the late 1960s and early '70s, along with Bean Oak. Keephatch was built in the early '90s. The Norreys Estate
Norreys Estate
The Norreys Estate is a housing estate, part of the Dowlesgreen area of Wokingham in the English county of Berkshire, situated just east of the town centre....
was built in the 1960s; however, Norreys Avenue is the oldest residential road in that area, having been built in the late 1940s as emergency housing following the Second World War. Norreys Avenue has a horseshoe shape and occupies the site of the demolished Norreys Manor. Much of the road contains 1940s-style prefabricated houses, although there are some brick houses along with three blocks of 1950s police houses.
In 2010, the council set up WEL (Wokingham Enterprise Limited) to manage a £100m regeneration project to redevelop the town centre with new retail, leisure and residential facilities, parking, roads and open spaces.http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/council/news-and-events/latest-news/wokingham-town-centre-regeneration-scheme/?locale=en
Several major expansion projects around the town are planned over the next decade, including on land to the north and south, and at the former military base at nearby Arborfield
Arborfield
Arborfield is a village in Berkshire about south-east of Reading, about west of Wokingham, and about west of the sister village of Arborfield Cross The village is on the A327 road linking Reading...
Garrison.
Transport
Train services to ReadingReading railway station
Reading railway station is a major rail transport hub in the English town of Reading. It is situated on the northern edge of the town centre, close to the main retail and commercial areas, and also the River Thames...
, London Waterloo and Gatwick Airport run from Wokingham railway station
Wokingham railway station
Wokingham railway station is a railway station in the town of Wokingham in Berkshire, England. It is situated at the junction of the Waterloo to Reading line with the North Downs Line...
. There are three level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
s in Wokingham (the Star Lane crossing on Easthampstead Road, the Waterloo crossing on Waterloo Road and the crossing on Barkham Road). These have been scenes of fatalities in 2007, 2008 and 2010, see list of level crossing accidents.
Most local bus services are provided by First Group but the Sunday and bank holiday
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
services from Wokingham to Reading are operated by Courtney Coaches
Courtney Coaches
Courtney Coaches are a bus operator baseed in Bracknell, Berkshire, England. They operate a network of commercial and contracted local bus services and school buses in and around Bracknell and Maidenhead...
.
Charities
- The Lucas Hospital, almshouseAlmshouseAlmshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
s founded in 1663 for sixteen elderly men from the surrounding parishes.
Churches
- Wokingham Vineyard
- All Saints' Church (CofE), transformed from a chapel-of-ease of SonningSonningSonning, occasionally called Sonning-on-Thames is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Wokingham in the English county of Berkshire, a few miles east of Reading. The village is situated on the River Thames and was described by Jerome K...
in 1190 - Corpus Christi Catholic Church
- St. Paul's Church (CofE), built by John Walter IIIJohn Walter (third)John Walter was an English newspaper publisher and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1847 and 1885....
in 1864 - Wokingham Baptist Church
- Wokingham Methodist Church
- Church at the White House School (CofE)
- Woosehill Community Church
- Norreys Church
Manors
- Evendon's Manor
- Ashridge Manor (now in Hurst, BerkshireHurst, BerkshireHurst is a village in the civil parish of St Nicholas Hurst in the English county of Berkshire.-Geography:The parish of St Nicholas Hurst is situated at , north of Wokingham and south of Twyford in the county of Berkshire...
) - Beche's Manor (burnt down 1953)
- Keep Hatch (Built 1871-4, demolished late 1990s due to dereliction to make way for the Keephatch housing estate)
- Buckhurst Manor (now St. Anne's Manor)
- Norreys' Manor
Secondary schools
Wokingham is served by four state secondary schools. The Emmbrook SchoolThe Emmbrook School
The Emmbrook School is a co-educational comprehensive school located in Emmbrook, Wokingham, Berkshire, England, for students between 11 and 18 years of age...
and St Crispin's School
St Crispin's School
St Crispin's School, founded in 1953, is a co-educational comprehensive school in Wokingham, Berkshire, England, catering for pupils between 11 and 18 years of age. There were 1,130 students at the school in 2011, of whom 190 were in the Sixth Form...
are mixed-sex comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
s, both of which have specialist status as Maths and Computing Colleges
Mathematics and Computing College
Mathematics and Computing Colleges were introduced in England in 2002 as part of the Government's Specialist Schools Programme which was designed to raise standards in secondary education. Specialist schools focus specifically on their chosen specialism but must also meet the requirements of the...
. The Holt School
The Holt School
He runs a 2:30 mile. The Holt School is a secondary school located in Wokingham, on Holt Lane. It is a girls' school and currently holds over 1200 girls ranging from 11-18....
, founded in 1931 in the Dower House of Beche's Manor, is a girls' school and is a specialist Language College
Language College
Language Colleges were introduced in 1995 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, modern foreign languages...
and Science College. The Forest School
Forest School (Winnersh)
Forest School is a comprehensive, all-boys' secondary school in Winnersh, Berkshire, England judged to be "Good" with some "Outstanding" aspects in it's most recent OFSTED inspection. It is located on Robin Hood Lane, the B3030 road, next to Winnersh railway station.-Grammar school:Forest School...
is a boys' school and is a specialist Business and Enterprise College
Business and Enterprise College
Business and Enterprise Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields...
. It is in Winnersh
Winnersh
Winnersh is a village and civil parish, a part of the Borough of Wokingham, in the English county of Berkshire. The parish is roughly bounded on the north-east by the A329, to the north-west by the river Loddon, Old Forest Road and Simons Lane on the south east and Bearwood Road on the south west...
but it shares the same catchment area as the Holt and the majority of the pupils are from Wokingham - A small number of Wokingham pupils gain places at Reading School
Reading School
Reading School is a state-funded, selective academy school for boys in the English town of Reading. It is notable for tracing its history back to the school of Reading Abbey, making it one of the oldest schools in England. There are no tuition fees for day pupils, and boarders only pay for food and...
and Kendrick School
Kendrick School
Kendrick Girls' Grammar School is a selective girls' grammar secondary foundation school situated in the centre of Reading, Berkshire, UK. In 2010 Kendrick became an Academy.-History:...
, the two single-sex grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
s in Reading.
Private schools
- Luckley-Oakfield SchoolLuckley-Oakfield SchoolLuckley-Oakfield School is a boarding and day school for girls in Berkshire in England. It has a community of about 300 girls, with about 240 pupils in the first five year groups, and 61 girls in the Sixth Form. The school is set in a rural location, south of the historic market town of...
founded at Luckley House in 1918 for girls aged 11–18 - Ludgrove SchoolLudgrove SchoolLudgrove School is an independent preparatory boarding school for about 200 boys, aged from seven or eight years to thirteen. It is situated in the civil parish of Wokingham Without, adjoining the town of Wokingham in the English county of Berkshire.-History:...
, moved to Wixenford House in 1937 - Bearwood CollegeBearwood CollegeBearwood College is a secondary co-educational independent school located at Bearwood House at Sindlesham, near Wokingham, in the English county of Berkshire. Before the 1990s, it was the Royal Merchant Navy School.-History of the house:...
, actually at SindleshamSindleshamSindlesham is an estate village in the civil parish of Winnersh, Borough of Wokingham, and county of Berkshire, in South East England. Located by the M4 motorway, it is south-east of Reading and adjoins Winnersh village...
, but often referred to as being in Wokingham - White House Preparatory School, for girls aged 2–11
Primary schools
- Wescott Infant SchoolWescott SchoolWescott School is a co-educational local authority infant school in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. The school is in Goodchild Road and is a short walk from the town centre. The school caters for children from ages four to seven . Children join the school as "Rising Fives" and there is a three-term...
- Westende Junior SchoolWestende Junior SchoolWestende Junior School is a co-educational junior school in Wokingham, Berkshire, England, established in 1974. The school caters for children from the ages of seven to eleven, and there are 229 children on roll . The school is near the town centre in Seaford Road, and is bordered by St Crispin's...
- St Paul's C of E Junior School
- Emmbrook Junior School
- Keep Hatch Primary School
- St Teresa's Roman Catholic Primary School
- All Saints' C of E Aided Primary
- Hawthorns Primary School
- St Sebastian's C of E Primary School
The University of Reading
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
's main campus at Whiteknights is situated approximately 6 miles (9.5 km) to the northwest of Wokingham.
Literature
In the 18th century, the Ballad of Molly MoggThe Ballad of Molly Mogg
The Ballad of Molly Mogg is a poem written by John Gay with contributions from Alexander Pope and Dean Swift...
was written in Wokingham. Molly was the barmaid daughter of the publican of the old Rose Inn (not on the site of the present one). She was well-known to local Binfield
Binfield
Binfield is a village and civil parish in the Bracknell Forest borough of Berkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it has a population of 7,475...
man, Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
, who, during a storm, found himself stranded at the inn with his friends, Gay
John Gay
John Gay was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for The Beggar's Opera , set to music by Johann Christoph Pepusch...
, Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
and Arbuthnot
John Arbuthnot
John Arbuthnot, often known simply as Dr. Arbuthnot, , was a physician, satirist and polymath in London...
. They wrote the ballad extolling her virtues to pass the time.
The character of Tom the chimney sweep
Chimney sweep
A chimney sweep is a worker who clears ash and soot from chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by a hot column of gas to create a draught and draw air over the hot coals or wood enabling continued combustion. Chimneys may be straight or contain many changes of direction. During...
in Charles Kingsley
Charles Kingsley
Charles Kingsley was an English priest of the Church of England, university professor, historian and novelist, particularly associated with the West Country and northeast Hampshire.-Life and character:...
's classic childhood story The Water Babies
The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby
The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby is a children's novel by the Reverend Charles Kingsley. Written in 1862–1863 as a serial for Macmillan's Magazine, it was first published in its entirety in 1863...
was based on the life and times of a Wokingham boy called James Seaward, who was a boy sweep in Victorian times
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. In his later years Seaward swept the chimneys at Charles Kingsley's home at the Rectory in Eversley
Eversley
Eversley is a village and civil parish in the Hart District of North-East Hampshire, England, 21 km North East of Basingstoke. Its northern boundary is formed by the River Blackwater....
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. Seaward was elected Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
of Wokingham from 1909 until his death in 1921. He had 12 children and many of his descendants still live locally. The Water Babies are the subject of Wokingham's first public sculpture, installed in 1999, which graces the upper level entrance to Wokingham Library.
Modern notoriety
In 1984, Mark Tildesley, a seven year old schoolboy, disappeared after leaving home to go to the fairground. The seven-year-old’s body has never been found.The case remains unsolved despite being featured heavily in the national press and on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TVs Crimewatch.
Film
The 1971 film Blind TerrorSee No Evil (1971 film)
See No Evil, also known as Blind Terror, is a 1971 British thriller film directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Mia Farrow as a recently-blinded woman named Sarah.-Plot:...
, starring Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow is an American actress, singer, humanitarian, and fashion model.Farrow first gained wide acclaim for her role as Allison Mackenzie in the soap opera Peyton Place, and for her subsequent short-lived marriage to Frank Sinatra...
and directed by Brian Clemens
Brian Clemens
Brian Horace Clemens OBE is a British screenwriter and television producer, possibly best known for his work on The Avengers and The Professionals...
, was filmed largely in Wokingham. The railway station can clearly be seen, as can the town centre and the interior of the Old Rose pub.
One of the scenes from Series 3, Episode 7 of the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
drama, Primeval
Primeval
Primeval or primæval may refer to:* Primeval, a British science fiction television series.* Primeval , a 2007 film* Primeval , a score of music from the BBC TV series Doctor Who...
was filmed in the Red Lion pub in the town centre.
One of the Superman Films used the Phoenix Plaza bowling alley in Wokingham for one of its scenes.
The popular TV series The Vicar of Dibley
The Vicar of Dibley
The Vicar of Dibley is a British sitcom created by Richard Curtis and written for its lead actress, Dawn French, by Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, with contributions from Kit Hesketh-Harvey. It aired from 1994 to 2007...
used the Wokingham town hall as a set in one episode.
Notable people
- Anna BebingtonAnna BebingtonAnna Rose Watkins is a British rower. She competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where she won a bronze medal in Double Sculls and has won 4 medals in the World Championships, most recently a successful defense of her world title with Katherine Grainger, in Bled, Slovenia in...
, bronze medallist at the Beijing Olympics in 20082008 Summer OlympicsThe 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in the women's double sculls - Luke BedfordLuke BedfordLuke Bedford is a British composer.He was educated at St Crispin's School in Wokingham. He studied composition with Edwin Roxburgh and Simon Bainbridge at the Royal College of Music, and won the Mendelssohn Scholarship in 2000. This was followed by post-graduate study with Simon Bainbridge at the...
, composer - Thomas BradleyThomas Bradley (priest)Thomas Bradley was born in 1596 or 1597, the son of Henry Bradley of Wokingham in Berkshire and his wife, Barbara daughter of Walter Lane of Reading in the same county. He was educated at Exeter College, Oxford and was admitted to the degree of Doctor of Divinity...
, chaplain to King Charles ICharles I of EnglandCharles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles... - Sir Richard Browne, 1st Baronet of LondonSir Richard Browne, 1st Baronet of LondonSir Richard Browne, 1st Baronet was a Major-General in the English Parliamentary army during the English Civil War. He was subsequently Lord Mayor of London....
- Tom BurrowsTom BurrowsTom Burrows is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a wicketkeeper.Born in Wokingham, he has played for Berkshire and Hampshire since his cricketing baptism in 2003...
, cricketer - The Cooper Temple ClauseThe Cooper Temple ClauseThe Cooper Temple Clause were an English six-piece alternative rock band originating from Wokingham, Berkshire. Formed in 1998, the band quickly gained a following through their live concerts, and have produced three albums, the latest being Make This Your Own...
, post-hardcore punk band - Claude DuvalClaude DuvalFor other uses, see Claude Duval Claude Du Vall was a French-born gentleman highwayman in post-Restoration Britain.-Early life:...
, highwaymanHighwaymanA highwayman was a thief and brigand who preyed on travellers. This type of outlaw, usually, travelled and robbed by horse, as compared to a footpad who traveled and robbed on foot. Mounted robbers were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads...
who owned a house in the town - Dick FrancisDick FrancisRichard Stanley "Dick" Francis CBE was an English jockey and crime writer, many of whose novels centre around horse racing.- Personal life :...
, writer - Thomas GodwinThomas Godwin (bishop)Thomas Godwin was an English bishop, who presided over the Diocese of Bath and Wells.Thomas Godwin was both born and died in Wokingham in Berkshire.From 1567 to 1584 he was Dean of Canterbury....
, Bishop of Bath and WellsBishop of Bath and WellsThe Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.The present diocese covers the vast majority of the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in...
, born and died in Wokingham - Nicholas HoultNicholas HoultNicholas Caradoc Hoult is an English actor, best known for playing Marcus Brewer in the 2002 film About a Boy, Tony Stonem in the E4, BAFTA-winning television series Skins, and Beast in the X-Men prequel, X-Men: First Class.-Early life:Hoult was born in Wokingham, Berkshire, the third of four...
, actor - Stephen HughesStephen Hughes (English footballer)Stephen John Hughes is a former English footballer who most recently played as a midfielder for Walsall...
, footballer, born in Wokingham - Steven LewingtonSteven LewingtonSteven Paul Lewington is an English professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment where he competed as DJ Gabriel.- All Star Promotions and Ohio Valley Wrestling :...
, professional wrestler formerly known as "The British Babe", now wrestling as "DJ Gabriel" with WWE - Frederick LucasFrederick LucasFrederick Lucas was a British religious polemicist and founder of The Tablet. His brother Samuel Lucas was a newspaper editor and abolitionist.-Biography:...
, founder of The TabletThe TabletThe Tablet is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Contributors to its pages have included Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Paul VI .... - Henry Lucas, founder of the Lucasian Professorship of Mathematics at Cambridge University
- Sir Henry MartenHenry Marten (politician)Sir Henry Marten was an English judge and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1625 and 1640.-Life:...
, Judge of the Admiralty Court - Bonnie Norris, youngest woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest
- John Dawson ReadJohn Dawson ReadJohn Dawson Read is an English singer-songwriter.Born in Wokingham, Berkshire, England, Read first came to prominence in 1975 with his debut album A Friend of Mine Is Going Blind, released on Chrysalis Records. The album's title song was written by Read for a friend of his who suffered from...
, singer-songwriter - Leslie SearsLeslie SearsLeslie Daniel Sears was an English cricketer. Sears was a left-handed batsman. He was born at Wokingham, Berkshire....
, cricketer - Russell SladeRussell SladeRussell Slade is an English football manager currently in charge of League One side Leyton Orient.-Notts County:Slade was assistant manager to Mick Walker at Notts County, and took over as caretaker manager when Walker was sacked in September 1994. When County appointed Howard Kendall as manager...
, football manager - Anne Snelgrove, MP
- Bill Stone, veteran of both world warWorld warA world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
s lived in SindleshamSindleshamSindlesham is an estate village in the civil parish of Winnersh, Borough of Wokingham, and county of Berkshire, in South East England. Located by the M4 motorway, it is south-east of Reading and adjoins Winnersh village... - William TalmanWilliam Talman (architect)William Talman was an English architect and landscape designer. A pupil of Sir Christopher Wren, in 1678 he and Thomas Apprice gained the office of King's Waiter in the Port of London...
, architect and landscape designer - Nathan TysonNathan TysonNathan Tyson is an English professional football striker, who is currently playing for Derby County.-Reading:...
, footballer, went to Forest School - John Walter IIIJohn Walter (third)John Walter was an English newspaper publisher and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1847 and 1885....
, local benefactor and proprietor of The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper - Will YoungWill YoungWilliam Robert "Will" Young is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominenceafter winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise...
, singer
Sport and leisure
- There are public parks at Barkham Road Recreation Ground, Langborough Recreation Ground, Cantley Park, Chestnut Park, Elizabeth Road Recreation Ground, Elms Field, Riverside Walk and Waverley Park.
- The council provide a number of leisure facilities such as the Carnival Pool, St. Crispin's Sports Centre and the Pinewood Leisure Centre. Pinewood is the base for over 20 clubs and associations. There is a King George V Playing Field behind St. Crispin's in memory of King George VGeorge V of the United KingdomGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
. - The local football team is Wokingham and Emmbrook F.C.Wokingham and Emmbrook F.C.Wokingham & Emmbrook F.C. are a football club based in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. The club was formed in 2004, as a merger of Wokingham Town and Emmbrook Sports...
- The Wokingham Half MarathonWokingham Half MarathonThe Wokingham Half Marathon is an annual half marathon held in Wokingham, Berkshire, England since 1984. The race currently starts and finishes at Cantley Park. It is a UK Athletics BARR Gold Graded Event. The 2008 event attracted a field of over 2,500 runners...
is held in February each year and starts and finishes at Cantley Park. - Wokingham Library is in Denmark Street.
- Wokingham Cricket Club (founded 1825) play at their ground on Wellington Road.
Speedway racing was staged at California in Reading. Before then the track, known then as Longmoor was used as a training track. After the war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the track featured in the Southern Area League in the 1950s. The team were known as the Poppies.
The site of the stadium is now part of a nature reserve but a few remnants of the track remain.
Twin towns
Wokingham is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
— Erftstadt
Erftstadt
Erftstadt is a town located about 20 km south-west of Cologne in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis, state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name of the town derives from the river which flows through it, the Erft...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
— Viry-Châtillon
Viry-Châtillon
Viry-Châtillon is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.Inhabitants of Viry-Châtillon are known as Castelvirois.-Transport:Viry-Châtillon is served by Viry-Châtillon station on Paris RER line D....
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Further reading
- Goatley, K. Wokingham: The Town of my Life. Reading: Conservatree Print and Design, 2004. ISBN 0-9534735-9-7.
- The Wokingham Society. Wokingham: A Chronology, 1978.
- Wyatt, B. Wokingham in Old Photographs. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Budding Books, 1999. ISBN 1-84015-128-5.
- Harison, J. Living Heritage - 300 years of bells, ringing and bellringers at All Saints Wokingham, 2009. ISBN 0-9563740-0-4.
External links
- Wokingham Town Council
- Wokingham Borough Council
- Welcome to Wokingham
- The Wokingham Society
- The Wokingham Times
- Royal Berkshire History: Wokingham
- Wokingham Theatre
- Wokingham Scouts
- Wokingham All Saints Bellringers
- Visit Wokingham: Guide to everything in and around Wokingham
- Wokingham weather monitoring station