The Brook, Wokingham

[behindthefrogs]

Found Twycross Road.

Its one of the spine roads of the large new estate constructed off the Keephatch Road in the last five years.

David

[Emmarine]

David,

Thanks for all the interesting info. i have in my records that James Twycross was a Justice of the Peace. Was he also mayor?
I wonder if you could find out where the Brook was located, possiblty the Warr clinic?

I also was curious to know how Twycross Rd received its name. Is it located near the Brook? i gather it was a recent name.

In 1947. JB Twycross-Raines , then quite elderly, corresponded with my grandmother in Melbourne, Australia, and knew some family history. In these papers I found the name of the Brook, Wokingham.

[Emmarine]

David,

i just checked back on what you said. i think it is possible that Southbrook was part of a house that was divided into wings to divide 12 young boys and girls.

The Twycross family liked the idea of wings as John Twycross  built a large wing on his house in Melbourne to house his large art collection.

Is the name "Brook" common in that area?

thanks,
Chris

[behindthefrogs]

If you go back through this thread you will see that I attempted to find Brook House and came to the conclusion that it was probably the house that is now the Warr Clinic.

The process of choosing street names in Wokingham is that the council keeps a list of potential names which it regularly adds to as they are used up.  The developers choose the names for a new estate from that list of names.

The list includes groups of names like tree, flowers etc. and all the previous mayors of Wokingham.  The long serving mayors and those who have justified recognition seem to have been used first, but more recently all the other mayors seem to have been added to the list.   James Twycross served for just the one year and I know nothing more about him.

The name "Brook" was presumably given to the house because it stands on the banks of Embrook.  Most of the other houses in the immediate area have been redeveloped in the last twenty years and only four remain.  The others have been replaced by a large Tesco supermarket and a small warehouse estate used for other out of town warehouse shops.
It is only about half a mile from the centre of Wokingham

David

[Emmarine]

David,

This is great information, thanks! I tried to find a photo of the Warr clinic online with no luck. How large are these 2 houses (approximately) and do they seem to show original details?

Chris

[behindthefrogs]

Although I have been inside the clinic I am not really sure.  I only visited a chiropodist who worked in a small room to the right of the reception area.  The clinic only appears to be two rooms wide from the road, and the attached house one or two.  I am not sure how far back the clinic goes.  The other house has its entrance on the side and gives the appearance of a wing at right angles to the clinic.

I think they are only two stories but I can't remember for sure.  Its nothing particularly special.  From memory they haven't been updated very much apart from the entrance o the clinic.  As to age, there is nothing which immediately points to them as being anything other than late 19th century although I must admit I haven't examined the brick sizes etc..

Its not the main Warr Clinic but an offshoot of the one in Crowthorne and so if you had found a photograph it would probably have been the wrong one. 

Unfortunately I am not digital or I would offer to take photograph.

David

[Emmarine]

Thanks David,

Is it possible that this house was built as early as the 1850's?
I found no photo at all online, but don't worry about a photo. Next time if you go by the house , perhaps you could observe the colour and the size of the bricks. It may not be the house I am searching for.

Do you have ancestors in this area?

regards,

Chris

[behindthefrogs]

I went to have a look at the Warr Clinic this morning and I am not sure that I am much wiser.

The Warr Clinic is in a house called North Brook House.  I walked down the side and it is bigger than I thought.  There appear to be about ten good size sash windows upstairs.  Maybe some rooms have two windows.  Apart from the front, the building is rendered in creamy yellow and while one can see the brickwork through it the age is difficult to work out.

South Brook is behind a high fence and high gates and much more difficult to see.  The house itself is in pretty well original condition and I would describe it as built rather than designed. It is probably slightly smaller than NBH.  The brickwork at the front uses slightly larger bricks than NBH, the windows are of different sizes to each other and the woodwork under the roof is applied where it is needed rather than symmetrically.

The front of NBH has been designed to match and this makes it very difficult to estimate the actual age of this part of what was obviously once a single building.  SB has a slate roof and the ridge is lead, NBH use matching modern tiles and has a tiled ridge. 

It is difficult to tell how much of NBH is recent refurbishment and how much is the original extension.  My guess is that SB is probably mid 19th century and NBH early 20th.

At the back there is a further dwelling called "The Stables" which looks as though it could be as old as the original but I couldn't get very close.

Carey Road is just the other side of the railway bridge and is obviously a road which has gradually been developed away from the Finchhampstead Road parallel with the railway.  The row of older cottages look a little newer than the railway bridge which I know was constructed in the early 1850s.

With regard to your question, I have no ancestors in the town but I have lived here for thirty years.

David

[Emmarine]

Dear David,

I see there is an antique shop near there that has Brook in its name. Are you familiar with it?

thanks again
Chris