Church House was designed by architects, Morris and Son of Reading, for All Saints Parish, and the foundation stone was laid in 1901. For over a century it served the whole town’s community.
With its green tiled walls, high ceilings and windows, it may seem an odd building to serve as a hospital but it did during World War One, opening in January 1915 with 17 beds to care for the sick men from the New Army and the Berkshire Yeomanry, who were quartered at Bearwood House (now Bearwood School). It closed on June 3, and reopened on June 9, as an Auxiliary Hospital attached to the War Hospital in Battle Hospital, Reading.
Local people gave or loaned crockery, cutlery, utensils, as well as the beds, linen, tables and so forth. The Wokingham District Committee of the Red Cross raised the money for cooking and washing facilities to be installed. Volunteers for the Wokingham and District detachments
of the Red Cross (VADs) provided all the nursing care under the supervision of a salaried hospital sister. Patients came from all regiments, from all parts of the British Isles, plus Canadians and Australians. The War Office allowance of 3/- a day was never sufficient and was supplemented by generous donations, subscriptions and locally held fundraising events.
The hospital closed on March 12, 1919, having treated 500 patients together with many local outpatients. On January 12, 1921, a terracotta casting was incorporated into the external wall as a reminder of the hospital function and the generosity of Wokingham’s residents. It returned to community use and provided a venue for a variety of social events, as well as a centre for groups. In 2004, the building was sold and has been converted into private residential accommodation.
In the associated black and white picture there is a turret that was removed in 1964.
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: WTH0317