Chronicle of the past
THE Wokingham Society is pleased to announce the publication of the book Wokingham A Chronology of the 19th and 20th Centuries written by Jim Bell, a local historian and author of many booklets on Wokingham’s history.
It complements the earlier Wokingham A Chronology, which has long been out of print and, by concentrating on a shorter period, it paints a varied picture of Wokingham from the beginning of the 19th century up until the end of the 20th century.
This has meant that local events can, where appropriate, be put into a wider national or international context. In addition, greater length has also allowed particular brief reports in the earlier Chronology to be fleshed out in greater detail.
The coincidence of the starting point in the early 1800s with the development of photography has allowed the use of pictures to illustrate the items included so that we can not only read about individual lives and activities but see them as they were at the time.
Examples of the day-to-day happenings will bring back memories for people who have lived in Wokingham for many years. For relative newcomers to the town it will give a taste of what Wokingham was like before they came.
Jim Bell, the author, said ‘I was convinced that there was a lot of 19th century Wokingham history still to be discovered and I have been delighted at how much new information has come to light’.
Copies of the book (ISBN 978-1-871514-04-9) are on sale for £5 at the following locations:
The Town Hall Information Centre, Market
Place, Wokingham, Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings 10am to 2pm
Wokingham Library, Denmark Street, Wokingham
Or it may be ordered from the author by emailing jim4history@gmail.com .