Discover Wokingham

A trip to Wokingham brings several themes together: the town’s history, historic buildings, nature and cultural events. The Town Hall, marketplace and Keephatch offer different points of interest, while the theatre and festival add another dimension. If you are looking for a hotel in Wokingham, distinguishing between these themes can help you decide in advance whether you would like to include historical details, landscapes or an events programme in your travel plans.

Museums, an app and historic buildings

The Wokingham Virtual Museum is the virtual home of the treasures of Wokingham Town Hall. Wokingham Town Museum comprises art, buildings and civic collections. The Wokingham history app adds to these perspectives with a video about the history of the Town Hall and the Wokingham Society’s Blue Plaque Trail. 15 The Terrace is part of this trail. Together, digital presentations of history, museum collections and a named trail offer different topics to explore.

Building history in several stages

15 The Terrace is generally considered the oldest surviving building in Wokingham and has been dated to the 14th century based on its architectural style. The Church of All Saints is a late-14th-century parish church on an older site. The tower and clerestory were added in the 15th century. A clerestory is the upper section of the nave wall. The two buildings offer different historical clues: at 15 The Terrace, the focus is on dating based on architectural style; at All Saints, it is the older site and the later additions.

Town history at the marketplace and Town Hall

Five mosaics in Wokingham’s marketplace commemorate the granting of a market charter by Henry III in 1219; they also recognise the Heelas family’s role in the town’s long-standing silk trade. Wokingham Town Hall reflects another historical change: it housed a police station until 1905 and a fire engine until 1969. Today, it houses four shops and a covered market.

Landscape and cultural events

Keephatch offers a focus on the landscape, with ponds, woodland, grassland and historic landscape features. These features are connected with the former Keephatch Estate; the habitats provide suitable conditions for amphibians, invertebrates, birds and small mammals. In this way, landscapes and wildlife habitats complement the town’s historical themes. While the buildings illustrate the town’s history through their architecture, Keephatch draws attention to habitats and groups of animals.

The theatre and festival add cultural events to the mix. Wokingham Theatre presents eight major productions each year; its venue, with more than 160 seats, is located in Cantley Park in Wokingham. The Wokingham Festival takes place annually over the August bank holiday weekend and features three days of live music, food and drink, family entertainment and stalls. The live music alternates between two stages. The events differ in timing: eight major theatre productions a year versus a three-day festival over the August bank holiday weekend. If you are planning your trip around the festival, check the specific dates.

Discover more destinations: East Ilsley, Thatcham, Hungerford, Winnersh, Wasing, Crockham Heath, Chieveley, Newbury

For the broader travel overview: Berkshire.