The Wokingham Society
Working to protect Wokingham town's past, present and future
Registered Charity no. 274988
Registered Charity no. 274988
The Wokingham Society is a Civic Society established in the 1960s to combat the threat to the town's buildings
and facilities from widespread and often thoughtless redevelopment. Although it has not always been possible to
prevent the loss of individual landmarks, the Society's voice has been significant in helping to preserve many
local historical features and to ensure that development has been sensitive to the town's heritage.
The Society's aims are clearly set out in the constitution which is available on the website here, but its main purposes may be summarised as:
• Encouraging the conservation of the character and traditions of
Wokingham as an historic market town
• Promoting study of the history of Wokingham and interest in our heritage
• Welcoming new development and business which enhance and invigorate the town
while constructively opposing measures that do not
• Proposing improvements to the town's environment and amenities
To contact The Wokingham Society please email the Chairman:
Peter Must or the Secretary:
Lucy Wickham.
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Wokingham has experienced major development in its town centre and in strategic housing locations in the north of the town. Details of these, and the Society’s involvement during the planning stage, can be found here.
South Wokingham Development and Distributor Road
Courtesy of John Beach, who inherited it after it passed to his father, the Wokingham Society has been given,
and placed in the Royal Berkshire Archives, a beautifully written and illustrated book by Louise Cecilia Bazalgette
Lucas Lucas (who later married Rev. Joseph Stratton, Master of the Lucas Hospital, Wokingham), recording the family
history of the Lucases. This has been made into an eBook which can be viewed here.
We are pleased to announce the publication of Wokingham A Chronology of the 19th and 20th Centuries written by Jim
Bell, local historian and author of many booklets on Wokingham's history. Please see the press release here.
Government proposals on Planning
Peter Must gave a talk about Louise Lucas, wife of the Master of Lucas Hospital, and her illustrated book about the history of her Lucas ancestors at an Open Meeting in the Town Hall Wednesday 20 March. A summary of his talk is attached here.
Dr Margaret Simons, an experienced adult education tutor who is Secretary of the Berkshire History Society, will give a talk about the Suffragette Movement in Reading at an Open Meeting in Wokingham Town Hall at 7.45 pm for 8.00 pm on Wednesday 19 June 2024.A copy of the poster can be found here.
For a list of previous Open Meeting topics and reports please click here.