Helmdon Reading Room, Village Hall

Overview

The Reading Room is a Victorian building given to the village by Charles Fairbrother in 1887. This is commemorated by an inscription on the top right of the building.

Originally it was a place where men could go as an alternative to the pub and they were provided with newspapers and books. It was not until the time of the First World War (1914-1918) that women began to use it.

Today the Reading Room has the function of a village hall, being the place where the Parish Council meets and many village activities take place.

The main hall and the smaller committee room can be hired. Full details are provided on https://hallbookingonline.com/helmdon (or the bookings page on www.helmdon.org.uk). The Audio Visual (AV) equipment may be included in room hire. Instructions are in a green folder in the cupboard  or a pdf version is available here.

The Helmdon 200 Club and the Tuesday Village Cafe provide ongoing contributions to the upkeep of the building. This is in addition to grants and gifts from other benefactors.

Latest News

The Reading Room has now been classified as a Welcoming Space, meaning that room is open for anyone to use at specified times (on www.helmdon.org.uk) – posted April 2024

The Reading Room has it’s own website www.helmdon.org.uk and details about recent improvements are fully explained in the News section. – posted – posted 2023

New Constitution

See also Trustees and Constitution on (www.helmdon.org.uk)

Helmdon Community Foundation CIO Constitution approved by the Charity Commission – posted 12 Nov 2020. 
Click here to see the approved constitution document (09 October 2020).
Click here to see the previous ‘Charities Act, Governing Document’ (1979)

Presentation explaining the reasoning behind our new proposed constitution for the Reading Room – posted 01 August 2020.
Downloadable copy of presentation (PDF, 1.3MB) [not currently available]. Final views on the constitution are required by 21st August 2020 when this consultation period will end.

The Reading Room is re-inventing itself as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), with limited liability and an appropriate 21st century constitution. This has been prepared by the Reading Room Trustees and Trustees have voted in favour of the new Constitution. – posted 28 Jul 2020

There will be an Open Morning for villagers to express interest in becoming a Trustee and to submit their questions and comments. This will take place immediately following the Reading Room AGM on Saturday August 1st 2020, starting at 10am in the Reading Room.

As we are limited to a meeting of 30 people (Covid-19) we need a throughput of people rather than a mass meeting. The Reading Room will therefore be open to all from 10am until 12.30pm with Trustees present and a short presentation available to view. There will be free tea and cake available…

Four New Trustees will be needed to help run the Reading Room after the Charity Commission have approved our application and the CIO comes into existence. We are looking for people with skills in marketing/legal/facilities management/fundraising/ and any others required to run and rejuvenate a public building. There will also be additional committees to help make things happen – those need enthusiastic people too.
Your village needs you!

Reading Room News Archive (on www.helmdonhistory.com)

Fund Raising News, up to 2011  (on www.helmdonhistory.com)

History of The Reading Room (up to 2002)

The Reading Room was given to the village by Charles Fairbrother in 1887 in memory of his parents and family who had long lived in Helmdon. At that date a “reading room” was the common device to provide men with an alternative place for their leisure to the pub, and women were not expected to use it. In Helmdon they did so only for an annual dance – and therefore their cloakroom and toilet had to be provided in a bedroom of the caretaker’s cottage, because the only toilet was for men. At first newspapers and weeklies were donated although at a later time they were purchased by the Reading Room committee.

A small yearly subscription was levied, which did not finish until about 1930. Until the First World War the premises were open every day of the year except for Sundays, Christmas Day, Good Friday and unofficially, the Thursday of Banbury Fair.

As well as reducing their numbers, the men’s habit of daily use of the Reading Room was broken by the First World War and, in 1921, Helmdon Women’s Institute was founded. The women, once allowed regular meetings in the Room, were the chief force behind improvements, especially in the kitchen and toilets, from the 1920s until now.

The building included accommodation for a caretaker, who received also free fuel, and in return was to clean the room and toilet, and supervise it. This usually made a full-time responsibility for a woman whose husband worked for their living elsewhere. Since the 1970s the cottage been let and the rent is a very important part of the Reading Room’s income. Income is also derived from rent from the users of the hall, although in the past some societies such as the British Legion were not charged.

Under the trust deed the Reading Room was originally under the jurisdiction of the rector and churchwardens, and it was not until the 1970s that the trust was transferred to the Parish Council and a managing committee from representatives of all village organisations (whether they used it or not), as required under charity law.

At various times the Reading Room has hosted a wide variety of classes, Helmdon’s choral society (between the wars), the Mothers’ Union, the Brownies, a Youth Club, and a health clinic attended by nurses from Brackley. Badminton used to be played there regularly until the ceiling was lowered.

Audrey Forgham & Jean Spendlove