Alfred Palmer (1852-1936) was a member of the Palmer family, proprietors of the Huntley & Palmers biscuit manufacturers of Reading in England.
He was born in Reading, the son of George Palmer and his wife, Elizabeth Sarah, the daughter of Robert Meteyard.
Palmer spent over fifty years working for the Huntley & Palmers biscuit company, chiefly as the head of the engineering department where he was responsible for the building and maintenance of the biscuit machinery. He also served as a director of the company. [1]
Besides his business involvement, Palmer was a significant benefactor of the University of Reading, [2] and held the position in 1905 of High Sheriff of Berkshire. [3]
His country estate was at Wokefield Park in Stratfield Mortimer. By 1901, Palmer was “Lord of the Manor”. [4] This status continued through the 1920s, [5] and until his death. Palmer was an award winning breeder of Galloway cattle at Wokefield. [6] [7] [8]
Palmer purchased the property in 1901, [9] then at his death, it was sold in 1936 to the De La Salle Catholic Brothers for use as a school. [10]
Baron Palmer, of Reading in the County of Berkshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1933 for the businessman and patron of music, Sir Ernest Palmer, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a baronet, of Grosvenor Crescent in the City of Westminster, in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom on 26 January 1916. The Palmer family had made its fortune from their ownership of the firm of Huntley & Palmers, biscuit manufacturers, of Reading. As of 2023 the titles are held by the first Baron's great-great-grandson, the fifth Baron, who succeeded his father in 2023.
Reading Museum is a museum of the history of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire, and the surrounding area. It is accommodated within Reading Town Hall, and contains galleries describing the history of Reading and its related industries, a gallery of artefacts discovered during the excavations of Calleva Atrebatum, a copy of the Bayeux Tapestry, finds relating to Reading Abbey and an art collection.
Wokefield Park is an 18th-century country house, situated in the parish of Wokefield, near Mortimer, in the English county of Berkshire. It is currently run as an events venue.
Huntley & Palmers is a British company of biscuit makers originally based in Reading, Berkshire. Formed by Joseph Huntley in 1822, the company became one of the world's first global brands and ran what was once the world’s largest biscuit factory. The biscuits were sold in elaborately decorated biscuit tins. In 1900, the company's products were sold in 172 countries; further, their global reach saw their advertising posters feature scenes from around the world. Over the years, the company was also known as "J. Huntley & Son" and "Huntley & Palmer".
George Palmer was a British entrepreneur, being mostly known as proprietor of the Huntley & Palmers biscuit manufacturers of Reading in England.
Wokefield is a hamlet and civil parish in the West Berkshire district of Berkshire, England, south of Reading. The parish includes the hamlets of Goddard's Green and Bloomfield Hatch. It also includes part of the former parish of Sulhamstead and Grazeley.
Sir Walter Palmer, 1st Baronet was a biscuit manufacturer and Conservative Party politician who served in the House of Commons from 1900 to 1906.
Gerald Eustace Howell Palmer was a United Kingdom author, book translator, and Conservative Party politician. Palmer's work in translating the Philokalia, an Eastern Orthodox spiritual text, is still recognised in modern times with the popularity of that book.
Samuel Ernest Palmer, 1st Baron Palmer, known as Sir Ernest Palmer, 1st Baronet, from 1916, was a British business man and patron of music.
Newtown, Reading is a suburb of the town of Reading in Berkshire, England. It is situated in East Reading between the Cemetery Junction and the River Kennet. The population is a socially and ethnically diverse mix of families, professionals and Reading University students.
Sir Hugh Percy Allen was an English musician, academic, and administrator. He was a leading influence on British musical life in the first half of the 20th century.
Marlston is a village in the English ceremonial county of Berkshire. For administrative purposes, it lies within the civil parish of Bucklebury and the unitary authority of West Berkshire.
Lockram Brook is a small stream in southern England. It rises near the Berkshire village of Mortimer, and is a tributary of Burghfield Brook.
Burghfield Brook is a small stream in southern England. It rises in Wokefield Common between the Berkshire villages of Mortimer and Burghfield Common. It is a tributary of Foudry Brook, which it joins near Hartley Court Farm, just to the south of the M4 motorway.
Occupation at the site of Reading may date back to the Roman period, possibly as either a trading port on the River Thames, or as an intersection on the Roman road connecting London with Calleva Atrebatum near Silchester.
Dry Sandford is a village in the Vale of White Horse district of England, about 3 miles (5 km) north-west of Abingdon. It is one of two villages in the civil parish of St Helen Without. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred the Vale of White Horse to Oxfordshire.
The statue of George Palmer stands in Palmer Park, in Reading, Berkshire. The statue, by George Blackall Simonds, was unveiled on 4 November 1891, though it was originally in Broad Street and only later moved to Palmer Park. The statue has been classed Grade II Listed monument since 14 December 1978.
The following is a timeline of the history of Reading, the county town of Berkshire in England.
The Ven. James Randall was the Archdeacon of Berkshire from 1855 until his resignation in 1869.