Townapedia
St Michaels Easthampstead Front
St Michaels Easthampstead Front · Tim Sneller, Public domain
St Crispins School, Wokingham
St Crispins School, Wokingham · User:Dahliarose, Public domain
Shepperlands Farm (3)
Shepperlands Farm (3) · Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0
Jock's Copse (1)
Jock's Copse (1) · Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0
Temple Copse (5)
Temple Copse (5) · Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0

Wokingham, United Kingdom

Wokingham is a town of 41,143 people in England, United Kingdom.

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Population41,143 GeoNames
RegionEngland
Elevation236 ft 72 m
Time zoneEurope/London
Land area0.9 sq mi 46,330 people per sq mi
Nearest airportBlackbushe Airport (BBS) 6 mi
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Why visit Wokingham

Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 29 parks and trails, 73 places to eat, 3 places to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.

Highlights include Grays Farm Shop, Wokingham Theatre, Museum of Berkshire Aviation and California Country Park.

About Wokingham

Wokingham is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It is the main administrative centre of the wider Borough of Wokingham. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 38,284 and the wider built-up area had a population of 50,325.

From the Wikipedia article Wokingham (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Travel tips from other travellers: Wokingham on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Things to do4

Grays Farm Shop

Farm and orchard · 1.3 mi

Heathlands Road, Wokingham

Open in Google Maps · +44 118 978 5386

Wokingham Theatre

Cinema and theater · 0.7 mi

Twyford Road, Wokingham

Open in Google Maps · +44 118 989 0395

Everyman Cinema

Cinema and theater

Elms Walk

Open in Google Maps

Caudwell Hall

Cinema and theater · 1.4 mi

Open in Google Maps

Museums and landmarks1

Museum of Berkshire Aviation

Museum · 3.4 mi

Aircraft museum in Woodley, England

Open in Google Maps · Wikipedia

Parks, trails and playgrounds29

California Country Park

Park · 2.8 mi

Park in United Kingdom

Open in Google Maps · Wikipedia

Jock's Copse

Park · 3.1 mi

Nature reserve in Binfield, Berkshire, England, UK

Open in Google Maps · Wikipedia

Shepperlands Farm Nature Reserve

Park · 3.3 mi

Park

Open in Google Maps · Wikipedia

Temple Copse

Park · 2.8 mi

Nature reserve in Binfield, Berkshire, England, UK

Open in Google Maps · Wikipedia

Arlington Square

Park · 3.4 mi

Business park in Bracknell, Berkshire, England, UK

Open in Google Maps · Wikipedia

Dinton Pastures Country Park

Park · 3.0 mi

Park in Berkshire, England

Open in Google Maps · Wikipedia

Holt Copse & Joel Park

Park · 0.6 mi

Local Nature Reserve in Berkshire, England

Open in Google Maps · Wikipedia

Lavells Lake

Park · 3.2 mi

Park

Open in Google Maps · Wikipedia

Tinkers Copse

Park · 3.1 mi

Nature reserve in Binfield, Berkshire, England, UK

Open in Google Maps · Wikipedia

Monkey Mates

Playground · 1.4 mi

Old Forest Road, Wokingham

Open in Google Maps

Rotary Walnut Tree

Park · 1.4 mi

24/7

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17 more on the map.

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Restaurants and cafes73

Sen Ichie

Restaurant · Sushi

47-49 Peach Street

Tu-Th 18:00-21:30; Fr-Sa 12:00-14:00, 18:00-21:30

Open in Google Maps · +44 1189 788893

The Crispin

Bar and pub

45 Denmark Street, Wokingham

Open in Google Maps · +44 118 9780309

Angelo's

Restaurant · Italian

6 Rose Street

Tu-Sa 18:00-22:00; Su 12:00-16:00

Open in Google Maps

Caffè Nero

Cafe · Coffee Shop

3-5 Peach Street, Wokingham

Mo-Fr 07:00-17:30; Sa 07:30-18:30; Su 07:30-17:30

Open in Google Maps

Coffee #1

Cafe · Coffee Shop

Mo-Sa 08:00-18:00; Su 09:00-17:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 118 228 6990

Hamlet

Restaurant · Regional, European

10 Peach Street

Mo-We 08:00-16:00; Th-Sa 08:00-23:00; Su 09:00-16:00

Open in Google Maps

Giggling Spring

Cafe

1 Shute End, Wokingham

Open in Google Maps · +44 1189799017

The Station Tap

Bar and pub

59 Station Road, Wokingham

Su 11:00-24:00; Mo-We 07:00-24:00; Th 07:00-01:00; Fr 07:00-02:30;...

Open in Google Maps

Zizzi

Restaurant · Italian

11-13 Broad Street, Wokingham

Open in Google Maps · +44 118 9797044

Hope and Anchor

Bar and pub

9 Station Road

Open in Google Maps

Den 42

Bar and pub

Denmark Street

Mo-Th,Su 12:00-23:00; Fr-Sa 12:00-02:00

Open in Google Maps

61 more on the map.

History

Wokingham means 'Wocca's people's home'. Wocca was apparently a Saxon chieftain who may also have owned lands at Wokefield in Berkshire and Woking in Surrey. In Victorian times, the name became corrupted to Oakingham, and consequently the acorn with oak leaves is the town's heraldic charge, granted in the 19th century. Geologically, Wokingham sits at the northern end of the Bagshot Formation, overlying London clay, suggesting a prehistorical origin as a marine estuary. The courts of Windsor Forest were held at Wokingham and the town had the right to hold a market from 1219. The Bishop of Salisbury was largely responsible for the growth of the town during this period. He set out roads and plots making them available for rent. There are records showing that in 1258 he bought the rights to hold three town fairs every year.

Read more of the history

From the 14th to the 16th centuries, Wokingham was well known for its bell foundry which supplied many churches across the South of England. During the Tudor period, Wokingham was well known as a producer of silk. Some of the houses involved in these cottage industries are still to be seen in Rose Street. In the years 1643–44 Wokingham was regularly raided by both sides in the Civil War. These raids would involve the looting of livestock and trading goods, and over thirty buildings were burnt down, accounting for nearly 20% of buildings in the town at that time. It was not until the early 18th century that Wokingham had fully recovered.

Wokingham was once famous for its bull-baiting. In 1661 George Staverton left a bequest in his will giving two bulls to be tethered in the Market Place and baited by dogs on St. Thomas' Day (21 December) each year. The bulls were paraded around the town a day or two before the event and then locked in the yard of the original Rose Inn which was situated on the site of the present-day Superdrug store. People travelled from miles around to see the dangerous spectacle. A number of dogs would be maimed or killed during the event and the bulls were eventually destroyed. The meat and leather were distributed amongst the poor people of the town. Some of the spectators also sustained fatal injuries. In 1794 on the morning after the bull-baiting Elizabeth North was found dead and covered with bruises. In 1808, 55-year-old Martha May died after being hurt by fighters in the crowd. The cruel 'sport' was prohibited by the Corporation in 1821 but bulls were still provided at Christmas and the meat distributed to the poor. Bull-baiting was banned by Act of Parliament in 1833.

In 1723, the 'Black Act' was passed in Parliament to make it an offence to black one's face to commit criminal acts. It was named after an infamous band of ruffians, known as the 'Wokingham Blacks', who terrorised the local area until 29 of them were arrested after fighting a pitched battle with Grenadier Guards in Bracknell. The formerly important industry of brick-making has given way to software development, light engineering and service industries, and the population has greatly increased.

From the History section of Wokingham on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

More about Wokingham

Geography

Wokingham is on the Emm Brook in the Loddon Valley in central Berkshire situated 39 miles (62.8 km) west of central London. It sits between the larger towns of Reading and Bracknell and was originally in a band of agricultural land on the western edge of Windsor Forest. The soil is a rich loam with a subsoil of sand and gravel. Wokingham has a town centre, with main residential areas radiating in all directions. These include Woosehill to the west, Emmbrook to the northwest, Dowlesgreen, Norreys, Keephatch and Bean Oak to the east, and to the south Wescott and Eastheath. Older names include Woodcray and Luckley Green.

Wokingham has grown extensively since the mid-20th century. Woosehill and Dowlesgreen were built on farmland in the late 1960s and early 1970s, along with Bean Oak. Keephatch was built in the early 1990s. The Norreys Estate was built in the 1960s; however, Norreys Avenue is the oldest residential road in that area, having been built in the late 1940s as emergency housing following the Second World War. Norreys Avenue has a horseshoe shape and occupies the site of the demolished Norreys Manor. Much of the road contains 1940s-style prefabricated houses, although there are some brick houses along with three blocks of 1950s police houses.

Education

The Forest School is a mixed-sex comprehensive school in the neighbouring village of Winnersh

The Holt School is a girls' school (founded in 1931 in the Dower House of Beche's Manor)

Bohunt School Wokingham is a mixed-sex comprehensive school opened in 2016.

Holme Grange School founded in 1945 for Girls and Boys aged 3–16 years

Luckley House School founded at Luckley House in 1918 for girls aged 11–18, now a boarding and day school for boys and girls

White House Preparatory School, for girls aged 2–11, now closed

Westende Junior School is a co-educational junior school established in 1974. The school caters for children from the ages of seven to eleven. The school is near the town centre in Seaford Road and is bordered by St Crispin's School and the King George V playing field. The majority of children at Westende come from the nearby Wescott Infant School, and the two schools share a joint Parent Teachers' Association. In September 1995 the school opened 'The Acorns', the first junior school resource in Berkshire for pupils with a diagnosis of Special Educational Need for autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

From the Wikipedia article Wokingham, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Notable people from Wokingham

Born in Wokingham, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.

Where to stay3

Churches and places of worship10

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Shopping13

Gas and EV charging3

Schools, colleges and libraries22

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Healthcare4

Map of Wokingham

162 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

Blackbushe Airport (BBS) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 6 miles away.

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

Towns near Wokingham

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Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.