Page 1159 - Reading Mercury

Berkshire Youth and Community Service who provided funds for paid managers and
volunteers and the constructors.

Thur 25th July
LONDON ROAD COTTAGES FLATTENED FOR DEVELOPMENT
The face of Wokingham changed again when Victorian cottages were demolished to
make way for new housing development recently. The cottages had stood at Nos. 184-
186 London Road for many decades and had become familiar landmarks in the town.
Planners gave the go-ahead on June 28th for two four-bedroom houses to be built on
the site and the bulldozers moved in two days later to demolish the cottages.

Thur 22nd Aug
MABEL PERKINS (104) DIES
Mabel Perkins died at the age of 104 last Sunday evening. Mabel was born in
Burghfield in 1892 during the reign of Queen Victoria and moved to Wokingham in
1916 after getting married to husband, Frank.
The couple first lived in Langborough Road and then in Broad Street where Frank
owned a garage. Frank died in 1953 and Mabel continued to reside in Broad Street.
Her health was remarkably good and she only moved into a home when she reached
100. She was buried in All Saints’ Churchyard.

th
Thur 5 Sept
CHURCH ORGAN INSTALLATION BLOCKED BY INTERNATIONAL RED
TAPE
International red tape has put the stumbling block on the finishing touches to the
pride and joy of St. Paul’s Church’s majestic organ. The church on the Reading Road
has had a new organ installed at a cost of approximately £45,000 but last minute paint
work which needs to be completed can only be carried out by Australian artist, Mark
Noble who is unable to get a work permit to travel to Wokingham to carry out the
specialised work.
The project was started in November 1995 and was mostly completed in June when
the church held a special concert to celebrate. The Rev. Roger Stillman had asked Mr.
Noble, who helped to design the paint work on the organ, to come over in May to do
the job. They had estimated that the work would take eight weeks, costing about
£4,000. However it soon became apparent that Mr Noble, a citizen of Melbourne and
who is a friend of organist, David Pether, was not going to be allowed to work in the
U.K. because of his self-employed status. To work in the U.K. one has to have an
employer.
The hold up has left the church with very little option other than advertising
nationally for artists to take up the job. Father Roger is still intent on battling to bring
Mr. Noble over to Britain to carry out the work if a replacement cannot be found.

Thur 12th Sept
Keep Hatch Manor House, Binfield, was burned down last Friday evening. Plastic
sheeting covering three sides of the building was on fire giving off acrid smoke.
Firemen using two appliances battled with the blaze for two hours before getting the
fire under control. The cause of the fire is being treated as suspicious,

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