BLACKFORD READING ROOM
Room Hire
OUR HISTORY
The Blackford Reading room has been at the heart of the village for the past 109 years, opening in 1912 due to the generosity of Miss Emily Senior who sold the land it stands on to the Fidelity Trust for the sum of £25.
Since then the Reading Room has hosted whist drives, dances, brownies, a girls club, Womens’ club, concerts, lectures, several Jubillee celebrations, birthdays, anniversaries and numerous fund raising events. One of its most active periods was during the 2nd World War holding almost weekly socials with members of the Royal Airforce from the airfield at Sigwells. At the end of the war the Compton Pauncefoot and Blackford Working Party were presented with a personal message of thanks from Marshal of the Royal Air Force, The Lord Portal of Hungerford
In 1993 The Fidelity Trust passed ownership of the Reading Room to the PCC who assumed the status of management committee and the Reading Room Trust was formed. Thanks to a substantial donation from the Lottery Commission and the Wyvern Trust and the hardwork and dedication of the Reading Room Trust, the building went through extensive modernisation at the start of the millennium making it the perfect venue for the local Gardening Club, Wine Club, Book Club, and the hugely popular monthly village breakfasts. We will be looking forward to opening the doors again soon!
A COMMUNITY SPACE
Blackford Reading Room is available for:-
Groups' and Clubs' activities
Meetings
Educational and training purposes
Fund-raising events
Birthday parties
Receptions
Social and community events
The Reading Room is a small village hall with the potential to run a variety of events. It is warm, bright and well equipped to accomodate up to 40 people. The kitchen has two hobs and ovens, a dishwasher, microwave and fridge. There is a projection screen if required.
The picture above was taken before our extensive refurbishment project during 2022. The hall has had new lights installed, new curtains, new chairs and been redecorated through. Please scroll down to see what the Reading Room looks like now after the work has been completed. We also have state of the art audio visual equipment for presentations and movie nights.
Hire Charges
Fees start at £40 to hire for up to 4 hrs, £80 for up to 8 hrs and £130 for 9+ hrs. Please get in touch with us for further information and to discuss your requirements.
Location
We are conveniently located in the centre of the village of Blackford, 4.5 miles from Wincanton and the A303 and 6 miles from Sherborne and the A30.
