Page 49 - Froghall Drive Our Story

houses had been opened with a full license, the Railway and the Rifle Volunteer, and the latter was
a replacement for the Horse and Groom.

The Wine and Beer house Act 1869 reintroduced the stricter controls of the previous century.

The completion of the railway line from London to Reading in 1840 resulted in the total demise of

the stage coach service from Bath and Bristol to London by 1843 and the loss of much trade by the
inns along the Bath Road. A diminished service, however, continued between Reading and London

via Wokingham with just one stage coach, S. William’s Windsor Park Coach calling at the Rose. The

coming of the railway also had a considerable effect on Wokingham's licensed trade. The Railway
was built next to the station by Hayward's Brewery. The opening of the South Western railway line

to London in 1856 gave Wokingham a direct link to the capital. The Engineer (now the Two Poplars)
initially relied on the construction workers for its custom. Overall, the railways brought more

travellers to the town and a great impetus to the beer trade.