Reading Room – Kingston Village

The Reading Room (Registered Charity No. 300882)

The Reading Room was ‘founded by Conveyance on 10 February 1912’. It was converted from almshouses to provide facilities for the education of parishioners. Later it was extended to provide a kitchen, WCs and downstairs rooms and facilities and became the focus for community activity generally. It now acts as the village hall and a centre for community groups, as well as providing a venue for a range of social activities, including hire by parishioners and others. The regular Tuesday Morning Market is also held in the Reading Room. There is ramp access, a disabled toilet and a hearing loop, full details are given in this summary Access Statement.

The Reading Room is a village facility for all to use, subject to booking conditions being met.

Kingston Reading Room Hall Hire (changes effective February 2024)

The Reading Room consists of a Main Hall with ceiling mounted projector and screen, audio visual system and stage lighting at the Church end. The Main Hall has seating for 88, standing room for 120 and folding tables to seat around 60 and lower tables for children. There is a fully fitted kitchen with cooker, semi-professional dishwasher, sink, microwave, fridge and coffee/tea making equipment. The hall is wheelchair accessible with an accessible toilet on the same floor as the hall. Very little parking is available as the Reading Room has no carpark. WiFi is now available in the main hall with the password in the covered notice board.

Downstairs are separate Ladies and Gents Toilets, a small meeting room and a store room.

Sessions are 8:30am to 1:30pm, 1:30pm to 6:30pm, 6:30pm to 11:30pm. If more time is needed to set up or clear away, then it should be booked.
Private and commercial events are charged at £8.00 per hour (from 1st February 2024) or part hour, including set up and clean up times.
The charge for sole occupancy of the Reading Room for a full day is by negotiation.
Hall uses that satisfy the objects of the Reading Room Trust Deed are charged at a subsidised £10 per session. They must be non-profit (and may be subject to financial review) and open to all residents of Kingston Parish, be advertised in the Kingston Newsletter and on KEG Facebook page as such and be approved by the Management Committee at least one month in advance.
Local’s parties are charged at a concessionary rate of £10 per session.
The meeting room is charged at £5 per session.
Bookings are recorded in the Reading Room bookings calendar here . Please check the calendar before requesting a booking.

[Please note that these rates will be reviewed annually]

Booking enquiries to Rusty, kingstonreadingroom@gmail.com

Approved by the Reading Room Management Committee, 21 November 2023.

The Reading Room was registered as Charity number 300882 on 30 January 1940. The building is registered at the Land Registry by the Parish Council, who act as a holding or custodian trustee on behalf of the charity. Its day to day management is carried out by the Management Committee, which meets a minimum of four times a year including the Annual General Meeting. The Committee is made up of representatives of all the village user groups (see Clubs/Societies page). As well as overseeing the general maintenance of the building, the Committee raises funds. The main fundraising events are the Grand Draw which is run in conjunction with Kingston Fun Day in August and a 200 club which is run from October to September with monthly draws sharing the ticket sales with the Reading Room. The 200 club rules are here.