Wokingham Tourist Information

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.