Tours > Royal County of Berkshire Towns > Wokingham
Wokingham
Wokingham
is a small market full of quaint old
buildings of both Medieval timber-framing
and Georgian elegance. Roads radiate out
(with an interesting one-way system for
motor vehicles) from the Market Place,
where stands the grand Victorian town
hall. It is an interesting pinnacled
brick building, home of the borough
council and their large collection of
paintings of various members of the
British Royalty. There are shops in some
of its alcoves and an outdoor market
meets on the surrounding plazza. This
area was the traditional site of the
annual bull-baiting for which Wokingham
was famous in the 18th century. The
striking Rose Inn is the successor to the
workplace of the famous barmaid, Fair
Molly Mogg. Pope, Gay, Swift and
Arbuthnot wrote their ballad to her
beauty there in the early 18th century.
There is a vast
Waitrose supermarket hidden away off
Rectory Road, but Wokingham's main
shopping streets are Peach and Denmark
Street. These feature several well-known
High Street names as well as local
businesses. At the far end of the latter
is Wokingham's ten-pin Bowling complex and a convenient
drive-through burger bar. In Peech Street
can be found the ancient 'Overhangs,' a
15th century building thought to be the
Windsor Forest Verderer's Court-House.
Other medieval timber framing can be seen
in the parallel Rose Street which heads
on down towards the parish church; but
the large Tudor facade at Shute End
actually came from a house in Binfield
early in the 20th century.
All
Saints Church is largely a 14th century
building which has undergone heavy
Victorian restoration. It houses a rare
Elizabethan Royal Arms. The churchyard is
a quiet spot with some interesting
memorials, despite the busy road outside. The only Grade 1 listed building in the town is the Lucas Hospital on its southern edge. This magnificent winged 'retirement home' was erected with a bequest left by one Henry Lucas in 1663. It still serves today, like it always has, as a home for sixteen old men from the thirty-two neighbouring parishes.
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