Have you wandered around Market Place and wondered who occupied the shops before the present owners? Or thought about who lived and worked there? Today we look at Market Place over the last 120 years.
Wokingham had some very well established shops in 1900. William Gotelee’s bookshop was already 125 years old and the Heelas department store had also celebrated its centenary. William Joseph Gotelee, who ran the bookshop until 1912 was known as the blind printer due to his affliction. Despite this he was a keen chess player. Since 1900 many shops have opened and closed.
Some of you may remember Bullocks as an old fashioned ironmongers in the 1970s in the premises now occupied by New Look. Before Bullocks it was Joseph Buckmaster who moved from Hertfordshire to set up his ironmongers shop.
What of Nando’s the restaurant? From the 1800s to 1970 it was a succession of grocers – the Butler Brothers, Skilton’s Stores, Grimbley & Hughes, Walker’s Stores.
It then became a branch of the Nationwide Building Society shortly followed by Newbury Building Society. After being incorporated into the New Rose Inn for a few years it became Nando’s. Of the early inhabitants Henry and Edwin Butler were renowned as Britain’s oldest motor cyclists. They put their helmets down at the ages of 83 and 79. Edwin also rode a boneshaker made out of gas pipes – no need of a bell for him as he could be heard a quarter of a mile away.
William Owen, the publican of the Red Lion, was quite a character. He had some knowledge of chemistry and used to amaze his customers with some of his antics. He’d take a mixture of phosphorus and potash between his fingertips and snap them together resulting in a brief flare-up (on being mixed together these chemicals form a sort of explosive). On one occasion a visiting customer tried it and unfortunately, the stuff exploded and badly injured his hand. William Owen was taken to court and charged with making explosives without having a licence. Maybe the magistrate saw the funny side as the bench described it as purely a technical offence and dismissed the case on payment of costs.
The information in this article is from a new book ‘Wokingham Market Place 1900 – 2019’ by Paul King and published by The Wokingham Society. Copies, price £6.50, may be obtained from the Information Centre at The Town Hall, or Henry Street Garden Centre, Arborfield. Alternatively, it may be ordered online from eBay (through seller jodiescraft).
