• Support Wokingham Today
  • Get the print edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter
Friday, May 30, 2025
Wokingham.Today
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • All
    • Arborfield
    • Barkham
    • Beech Hill
    • Binfield
    • Bracknell
    • Charvil
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
    • Emmbrook
    • Finchampstead
    • Grazeley
    • Henley
    • Hurst
    • Lower Earley
    • Norreys
    • Reading
    • Remenham
    • Riseley
    • Shinfield
    • Sindlesham
    • Sonning
    • Spencers Wood
    • Swallowfield
    • Three Mile Cross
    • Twyford
    • Wargrave
    • Winnersh
    • Wokingham
    • Wokingham Without
    • Woodley
    • Woosehill
    • Yateley
    Wokingham Pride

    Could you help Wokingham Pride 2025?

    Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

    Annual photography exhibition starts today

    Mike's company, Kill A Watt, aims to help households cut down their energy bills and reduce their impact on the environment. PIcture: Dock8 via PIxabay

    Naturally Speaking

    Trinity Concert Band celebrates platinum success. Concert manager and E flat clarinettist stuart Freebody proudly holds the award. Picture courtesy of Trinity Concert Band

    Enjoy a fiesta of a concert in Wokingham

    Christen  Forster speaks about the explosion of life in Spring, and at Pentecost. Picture: Christen Forster

    Church Notes: Impossible things to believe?

    Young readers can earn rewards for reading six books this summer. Picture: Amore Seymore via Pixabay

    Open six books, and step into a world of imagination

    Dalia's CoppaFeel Curry Night at The Tamarind Tree restaurant was another delicious success for the cancer charity fundraiser. Picture: Emma Merchant

    CoppaFeel Curry Night in Wokingham a joyful fundraiser

    Claire Revie, founder of SHARE Wokingham, helps to create the new brew.

    Special brew to benefit SHARE

    Entries are open for this year's event.

    Enter now for Wokingham Bikeathon

  • SPORT
    • All
    • Binfield FC
    • Reading FC
    Reading FC

    ‘Reading FC is a sleeping giant’: Club gains new investors just weeks into Couhig’s takeover

    Reading FC owners Todd Trosclair and Rob Couhig

    Rob Couhig speaks on the future of Reading FC’s Academy and Category One status

    The Select Car Leasing Stadium

    Reading FC’s pitch set for major improvements ahead of 2025/26 campaign

    Cricket Picture: Wikimedia Commons

    Berkshire CCC look to seek revenge against Cheshire

    Sell Before We Dai

    Supporters’ Trust at Reading joins 21-group alliance calling for Football Governance Bill amendment

    The Forest School U15s football team

    The Forest School U15s make history with another National Elite Cup victory

    Sam Green and Megan Bartlett, who both took part in the Wokingham half marathon earlier this year. Pic: Harry McBain.

    Sam and Megan take Sumas supporters’ awards

    Reading FC

    Former Reading FC player announces shock international retirement

    Reading FC - Charlie Savage and Harvey Knibbs Picture: Luke Adams

    Reading FC star player linked with transfer to Wrexham

  • READING FC
  • COMMUNITY
    Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

    Annual photography exhibition starts today

    Trinity Concert Band celebrates platinum success. Concert manager and E flat clarinettist stuart Freebody proudly holds the award. Picture courtesy of Trinity Concert Band

    Enjoy a fiesta of a concert in Wokingham

    Christen  Forster speaks about the explosion of life in Spring, and at Pentecost. Picture: Christen Forster

    Church Notes: Impossible things to believe?

    Hands-up: Doreen and Lizzie Picture: WADE Day Care Centre

    Smiles, Songs and Good Company – The Wade Experience

    Dalia's CoppaFeel Curry Night at The Tamarind Tree restaurant was another delicious success for the cancer charity fundraiser. Picture: Emma Merchant

    CoppaFeel Curry Night in Wokingham a joyful fundraiser

    Claire Revie, founder of SHARE Wokingham, helps to create the new brew.

    Special brew to benefit SHARE

    Entries are open for this year's event.

    Enter now for Wokingham Bikeathon

    Sonning bridge. Pic: Google.

    Fine for Sonning weight breach

    This year's event is being held on Saturday, June 14.

    Carnival fun is coming to Woodley

  • LIFESTYLE
    • All
    • Food
    • Health
    • Obituaries
    • People
    Mike's company, Kill A Watt, aims to help households cut down their energy bills and reduce their impact on the environment. PIcture: Dock8 via PIxabay

    Naturally Speaking

    Christen  Forster speaks about the explosion of life in Spring, and at Pentecost. Picture: Christen Forster

    Church Notes: Impossible things to believe?

    Entries are open for this year's event.

    Enter now for Wokingham Bikeathon

    A government push for more radiotherapy machines has been welcomed by ministers as the Royal Berkshire Hospital is among the services to benefit from them.

    Royal Berks one of 28 Trusts to see new radiotherapy machine investment

    A banking hub in Yorkshire. Pic: Murray Scott/Link.

    Banking hub plans for village

    Retrospective plans have been refused. Pic: WBC.

    Vending machine plans refused

    Mind in Berkshire, which provides support, advice, and signposting for mental health services in Berkshire, was commissioned to examine Black people's access to necessary services, as part of a wider drive from the Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to address inequalities in local services. Picture: PixaBay

    Mind in Berkshire report finds serious deficits in mental health provisions for Black people

    AB Walker

    VAUGHAN, David Raymond

    The Hope & Anchor. Pic: Rightmove.

    Historic town pub listed for sale

  • WHAT’S ON
    • All
    • Arts
    • Entertainment
    Double Standards

    New play ‘Double Standards’ at South Streets Art Centre to explore hypocrisy in dating

    Wokingham Pride

    Could you help Wokingham Pride 2025?

    REVIEW: “Three Hens In A Boat” at The Watermill Theatre

    Siren RG1

    Siren RG1 to mark first anniversary with weekender celebration

    Wellington Farm Shop

    Wellington Farm Shop celebrates its 20th anniversary

    Two concerts in one day from Reading's APO. Picture: Pexels via Pixabay

    An orchestral event in Wokingham promises evening of drama and contrast

    Eva Wong Nava will be at Trinity Hall Church on Monday from 4pm until 5pm. Picture: Eva Wong Nava

    Young writers can meet children’s author Eva Wong Nava

    Crafters can join a project  to decorate Twyford village centre with bunting Picture: Hello I'm Nik on Unsplash

    Get out the bunting for VE Day at Wokingham’s May Fayre

    Crowthorne Symphony Orchestra's performance of American music promises to be a fun and high energy evening. Picture: CSO

    Discounted tickets available for summer concert in Wokingham

  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT
No Result
View All Result
Wokingham.Today
No Result
View All Result
Home Community

Wargrave society sees history in the making

by Emma Merchant
May 21, 2025
in Community, Featured, Wargrave
Barrymore's Theatre at Wargrave was one of the highlights of a talk about Reading Library's collection of historic images, given by Katie Amos. Picture: Reading Library

Barrymore's Theatre at Wargrave was one of the highlights of a talk about Reading Library's collection of historic images, given by Katie Amos. Picture: Reading Library

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

READING Library’s local history studies specialist, Katie Amos, made a return visit to Wargrave Local History Society

At their May meeting she showed a selection of pictures from the library’s collection of more than 20,000 photographs and illustrations from across Berkshire.

Pictures of historic Reading, included old wharves along the rivers Thames and Kennet, which were both major goods transport routes prior to the railways.

Others showed Huntley & Palmers biscuit factory workers in 1903; Reading School when located in The Forbury, and Battle Hospital (now the site of Oxford Road’s Tesco Store).

‘Carnegie Libraries’ Caversham and Battle, provided by the American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie also featured, along with images of long gone Reading businesses, from Philips Ironmongery shop on Broad Street in the 1870s, to C & A Modes on Friar Street in 1978, and Wellsteed’s department store‘s ornate 1930s restaurant (later Debenhams) which is now an entrance to The Oracle shopping centre.

Other images without Reading, included that of a single car in Sonning High Street in 1910 – impossible to imagine today.

Related posts

New play ‘Double Standards’ at South Streets Art Centre to explore hypocrisy in dating

Six Berkshire residents awarded British Empire medal by Berkshire Lieutenancy

Others covered Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee celebrations in Wallingford in 1897, children maypole dancing in 1912, the award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal to Sgt Ridley in Reading in 1917, and Mayor McIlroy driving the last Reading tramcar on May 20th 1939.

Wartime picture highlights included VE Day celebrations, street parties, and an advert advising people to buy Brooke Bond Dividend tea for their parties.

In Wargrave pre-photographic images included an engraving of Barrymore’s theatre at Wargrave, ‘The place to go’ outside London to see leading actors of the day.

Opened in 1791, on Wargrave High Street, it seated 700 but lasted just a few years until Barrymore became bankrupt.

The village’s Greyhound public house featured too, along with a corner grocer’s shop, and horse-drawn carriages beside Woodclyffe Hall.

And a postcard picture of St Mary’s church with Mill Green in front of it showed the building before a destructive fire of 1914 (only its 1635 tower survives today in the present building).

Other early views of Wargrave showed School Lane in the 1930s with a long row of cottages built to house 19th century agricultural workers; the view under Conway’s Bridge, up the Happy Valley; Rebecca’s Well; and old engravings of both Bear Place and Bear Hill (now known as Linden Hill).

For information about the collection, visit the Reading Library website: reading.spydus.co.uk

Click ‘Full catalogue’, select ‘Local Illustrations’, and search for the subject wanted.

The library can also provide copies of the images.

For more about Wargrave History Society, visit: wargravehistory.org.uk

Keep up to date by signing up for our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people who have requested it.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Previous Post

Church Notes

Next Post

Four in a row for BAPCO

FOLLOW US

POPULAR THIS WEEK

The Select Car Leasing Stadium

Reading FC’s pitch set for major improvements ahead of 2025/26 campaign

May 30, 2025
Wokingham borough council. Pic: WBC.

Have your say on council spending

May 28, 2025
Reading FC

‘Reading FC is a sleeping giant’: Club gains new investors just weeks into Couhig’s takeover

May 30, 2025
Sonning bridge. Pic: Google.

Fine for Sonning weight breach

May 29, 2025
specialist planning lawyers and consultants Claire Saffer, Paul Thompson and Rosalind Andrews.

New partnership for law firm

May 24, 2025
Claire Revie, founder of SHARE Wokingham, helps to create the new brew.

Special brew to benefit SHARE

May 29, 2025

ABOUT US

Wokingham Today is dedicated to providing news online across the whole of the Borough of Wokingham. It is a Social Enterprise, existing to support the various communities in Wokingham Borough.

Wokingham.Today is a Social Enterprise and aims to ensure that everyone within the Borough has free access to independent and up-to-date news. However, providing this service is not without costs. If you are able to, please make a contribution to support our work.

CONTACT US

[email protected]

Keep up to date with our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people that have subscribed

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

  • Support Us
  • Book Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Get the Print Edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter

The Wokingham Paper Ltd publications are regulated by IPSO – the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
If you have a complaint about a  The Wokingham Paper Ltd  publication in print or online, you should, in the first instance, contact the publication concerned, email: [email protected], or telephone: 0118 327 2662. If it is not resolved to your satisfaction, you should contact IPSO by telephone: 0300 123 2220, or visit its website: www.ipso.co.uk. Members of the public are welcome to contact IPSO at any time if they are not sure how to proceed, or need advice on how to frame a complaint.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • Arborfield
    • Barkham
    • Beech Hill
    • Binfield
    • Bracknell
    • Charvil
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
    • Emmbrook
    • Finchampstead
    • Grazeley
    • Henley
    • Hurst
    • Lower Earley
    • Norreys
    • Reading
    • Remenham
  • COMMUNITY
  • LIFESTYLE
  • SPORT
  • READING FC
  • OBITUARIES
  • WHAT’S ON
  • JOBS
  • PHOTOS
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • CONTACT US
  • WHERE TO GET THE PRINT EDITION
  • SUPPORT US

© 2022 - The Wokingham Paper Ltd - All Right Reserved.