Page 1146 - Reading Mercury

by. Surprisingly Mr. Harris claims that most motorists are quite understanding when
they find him by their car writing out a ticket. “Your approach is the big thing. Most
drivers accept that they have done something wrong,” said the traffic warden who
patrols the streets of Reading.

Thur 28th July
STATION BLAST BRINGS TOWN TO A STANDSTILL
An explosion at Wokingham Station caused havoc as bomb squad experts were
called in and rush-hour traffic was brought to a standstill. Experts later discovered
later that the blast which lifted a manhole cover by two inches was caused by a minor
electrical fault. There was a problem with a link box which houses underground
cables.
The fault caused a small amount of smoke and a build-up of heat, causing the
manhole cover to lift.

ROSE (94) RINGS THE BELL WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM HER FRIENDS
A bell retrieved 40 years ago from a demolished school building rang for the first
time at its new home in Palmer School, Wokingham. The salvaged bell has almost
been forgotten about until headmaster Russell Palmer found it and decided to re-hang
it as a tribute to the school’s long history. Some restoration work was carried out on
the 120-year-old bell and a new clanger made before it could be positioned in the
centre of the school building.
To celebrate the occasion, a ceremony was held attended by past and present pupils,
some of whom remember the school’s old Victorian building and bell tower. The
oldest person associated with the school, 94-year-old Rose Elliot, was given the
honour to be the first to ring the bell since it was silenced 40 years ago.
As a dinner lady at the school in the 30s, Mrs. Elliot from Coronation Square, would
keep the children in check.
The bell used to signal the beginning of lessons but will now only be rung on
special occasions, such as at the end of the year to bid farewell to year six pupils. As
part of the dedication ceremony, the youngest pupil, Emily Leadbetter, (7), and the
oldest, Richard Burwood (11), were the first pupils to have the opportunity of ringing
the bell.

Thur 11th Aug
EX-MAYOR LOSES BATTLE TO SAVE HISTORIC HOTEL
Planners have finally struck the death knell for the 90-year-old Tithe Barn in
Wokingham. One of the few remaining large historic buildings in the district will be
bulldozed to make way for 18 flats in Glebelands Road. The fight to save the old hotel
building was finally lost last Wednesday when councillors decided it was too derelict
to keep. Since the last customer left the once prestigious hotel in 1988 the building
has been the victim of squatters, vandals and the weather.
A final attempt by campaigner and former Mayor, Margaret Busst to save the 19th
century hotel failed when the Department of the Environment turned down a plea to
classify it as a listed building.
The Wokingham Society and Ancient Monuments Society also supported the
retention of the building. But a council inspection of Tithe Barn carried out in March
1992 showed that it was in a “structurally poor” condition and would cost around
£370,000 to repair.

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