Wokingham is a small market town and civil
parish in Berkshire in the south east of England, close to Reading and
Bracknell. It covers an area of 557 acres and, according to the 2001
census, has a population of 30,403. It is the seat of the Wokingham
local government district.
It has been granted borough status, which came into force on March 9,
2007
Wokingham is located on the Emm Brook in the Loddon Valley in central
Berkshire situated less than 30 miles from London. It sits between
Reading and Bracknell and was originally in a band of agricultural land
on the western edge of Windsor Forest. Suburbs include Emmbrook,
Matthewsgreen, Dowlesgreen, Woosehill, Limmerhill and Eastheath. Older
names include Woodcray and Luckley Green.
Northern Wokingham, centred on Ashridge, was always officially a
detached part of Wiltshire. This area extended well into the town centre
(and the area currently where the Dowlesgreen, Norreys and BeanOak
estates currently are situated) until transferred to Berkshire in 1844.
The ancient parish was divided in 1894 into urban and rural civil
parishes, Wokingham Without forming the latter.
Wokingham "proper" currently consists of the 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.
Much of Wokingham has been developed over the past 80 years. Woosehill
and Dowlesgreen were built on farmland in the late 1960s and early 70s,
along with Bean Oak. Keephatch was built in the early 90s. 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 WW2. Norreys Avenue is horseshoe in shape,
which is placed on the same location as Norreys Manor (demolished for
the building of Norreys Avenue). Much of the road contains 1940s-style
prefabricated houses, although there are some brick houses along with
three blocks of 1950s police houses.