Tudor House has long been a Wokingham focal point, standing as it does at the end of Broad Street within the town’s medieval boundary.
It was a 16th century mansion, becoming a complex building of two or three houses which were united in phases to make the present structure of timber framing with brick infill on the ground floor and lather and plaster on the upper floors and retaining leaded casement windows.
Tudor House was a school from 1890, known as Grosvenor House School until it moved to larger premises, Montague House nearby, in 1919. It was then used as offices by Perkin Brothers who owned a garage at the corner of Broad Street and Shute End at that time. The front elevation was altered in the 1920s, removing stucco to reveal the jettied timber frame of today.
It is understood that some timbers and fireplaces came from the demolished Billingbear House in Binfield. It was an antique dealer’s premises in 1927 and was succeeded by a doctor’s practice from 1938 until 2013, when it was sold for conversion to residential use.
Because of its contribution to Wokingham’s heritage, this building is part of the Wokingham Society’s Blue Plaque Trail. A leaflet giving details of all of the buildings on the Trail can be obtained from the Wokingham Town Hall Information Centre and Wokingham Library. An electronic version is available from www.wokinghamsociety.org.uk The Trail is also available on a downloadable App called Wokingham Town History.
Wokingham Town Museum Unique Identifier: WTH0309