The original building on this site was thought to have been built in the 16th Century, becoming an educational establishment in the early 17th Century.
Montague House almost certainly takes its name from two Henry Montagues, father and son, the latter a prominent wealthy schoolmaster, who inherited the premises from his father. Rebuilt in the early 18th Century, in the 1790s the school continued as a boarding school for young ladies, but returned to residential use in 1802.
By 1920, the premises had become a school once more(Grosvenor House School, transferring from Tudor House) until the 1930s when it moved first to 4 Albert Road and then to the White House School in Finchampstead Road/Evendons Lane. A Wellington School master was resident there until 1948, but it was sold in 1951 to Berkshire County Council. It again reverted to an educational establishment until the Library transferred there from the Town Hall in 1970, before again becoming a higher educational establishment as part of Bracknell and Wokingham College in the 1990s. A new library was built in Denmark Street.
Montague House was subsequently sold to a commercial company in 2004. Today it is a restaurant and apartments., plus two retail units in the courtyard.
Many of the old garden walls are retained in Waitrose car park to the rear of Montague House, where a highly visible Oriental Plane tree is recognized as a significant landmark.
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: WTH0310