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Wokingham
grew up on the Emm Brook in the Loddon Valley, a rich agricultural
area on the western edge of the Windsor Forest.
The courts
of the Windsor Forest were held in Wokingham and from 1219
the settlement had permission to hold a market.
From
the 14th to the 16th century the town was famous for its bell
foundry, which supplied many churches across the south of
England.
For centuries
Wokingham remained a small market town but recently its location
in the prosperous Thames Valley, together with its excellent
transport links, has meant the town has developed into a thriving
centre for business and light industry.
Hhistoric
Wokingham has an attractive mix of medieval timber-framed
houses and elegant Georgian buildings. Roads radiate out
from the Market Place, location of the impressive Victorian
town hall.
Nearby
is the Rose Inn, the successor to workplace of Fair Molly
Mogg. In the early 18th century the poets Pope, Gay, Swift
and Arbuthnot immortalised this beautiful Wokingham barmaid
in a ballad.
On the
southern fringes of the town lies the Lucas Hospital. The
only Grade I listed building in the town, the timber-framed
house was erected in 1663 as a retirement home for 16 elderly
men. Today the magnificent building still fulfills the same
function.
Nearby
at Isaac Newton Road, Arborfield, stands the REME
Museum of Technology. This museum, set in its own grounds,
illustrates the changing technology employed by the Royal
Electrical and Mechanical Engineers since 1942 to maintain
and repair's the Army's equipment. The collection includes
uniforms, models, telecommunications and weapons. The Prince
Philip Vehicle Exhibition Hall has a display of 20 REME specialist
vehicles.
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Wokingham
