HEAR the story of Wokingham’s first woman police officer or get up close to the huge Green Park wind turbine.
If you prefer, try your hand at writing a poem about the town’s history or climb the bell tower of All Saints church and enjoy the beautiful views across Berkshire.
Historic houses, restored buses, music halls and other venues not normally accessible to the public will throw their doors open for Heritage Open Days between September 8th and 17th.
A total of 5,000 locations across the country are taking part with many in Wokingham and across Berkshire and all venues are free and family friendly.
Last year more than 45,000 organisers and volunteers ran nearly 5,000 events attracting one million visits. Around one-third of visitors admitted they had not visited a heritage site in the past year while 80% of festival-goers said their visit made them more proud of their local area.
Chair of the Civic Committee at Wokingham Town Council, Cllr Adrian Mather said: “We are lucky to live in an historical town where parts of our past are evident through our buildings and surroundings.
“Heritage Open Days offer a perfect opportunity for us to make Wokingham’s history interesting and accessible, whether it’s through the Arts, local industry, past residents of significant interest or local artefacts passed down through the ages.
“I urge you to join us at the Town Hall, on Saturday, September 9, step back in time and see how our past has influenced the present day, as well as visiting our partners on their open days too.”
Wokingham Library is hosting a fascinating illustrated talk on Gwen Crockford, a WPC in the town who became the Berkshire Constabulary’s first woman detective.
Gwen’s daughter, Ruth D’Alessandro, has written a trilogy of books about her mum’s pioneering police career. The second book, Calling Detective Crockford, was published in March and details Gwen’s day-to-day crime scene investigations using forensic techniques of the time.
In this talk, Ruth explores those forensic techniques, and reads passages from Calling Detective Crockford. Ruth’s books will be available to buy. This is an unmissable event for anyone who loves true crime and police procedurals.
Find out all about the 15-year-old Green Park turbine and on a tour which includes a full Q&A session to find out what it is, what it does, how it works and experience a few experiments too. Suitable for all age ranges.
Wokingham Town Council will once again celebrate Heritage Open Days at the Town Hall. This year’s theme is Creativity Unwrapped with an emphasis on the Arts with some hands-on activities, writing and crafts and local history.
Liam Montgomery, spokesperson for Heritage Open Days said: “Whether it’s art, music, writing, or another outlet, creativity moves us and shapes our history and culture. This year organisers have once again come up trumps and created a stellar programme of events which put the spotlight on the people and places who give England’s heritage the X-factor and inspire festival-goers to engage with thousands of years of creativity.
“It is the organisers who make this possible, and whose hard work enables over a million people to engage with heritage, for free, on their doorstep, every September.
For full details of all venues in Wokingham taking part go to: www.wokingham-tc.gov.uk/heritage
