Reading Rooms Management

Introduction

This section of the web site explains the management of the Reading Rooms and includes all aspects of how they are booked and charged, risk management, insurance, fire protection, mandatory checks etc. Details of the systems including plumbing, sewerage, water etc are described in the 'Reading Rooms Systems' page of this web site.

Concept of the Reading Rooms as Part of the Almshouses

Reading Rooms were established in many villages in Britain in the later 19th and earlier 20th centuries, though they declined later, as more opportunities for leisure and self-improvement became available to country people. A brief Google search reveals many websites maintained by village reading rooms that still exist, but little general historical background, and they seem under-researched.

A brief overview can be found in this abstract Link of an article entitled 'The Rise and Decline of Village Reading Rooms' in Rural History, Vol. 20, issue 2, October 2009, pp163-186. "Reading rooms were originally imposed upon the working classes by the upper classes, mainly the church and local landowners. Their establishment reflected contemporary attitudes to philanthropy, recreation and self-help and confirmed the great class divide.... Reading rooms offered a much needed alternative to the public house for the working classes, although they tended to appeal more to the lower middle classes, and membership was mostly restricted to males."

We do not know how the Reading Rooms were used in the Milton Abbas Almshouses before 1990, which is when they were extensively remodelled and updated (see the Rebuild and Refurbishment page for more details on the main web site menu). Following the rebuild, a formal management structure was established, meetings were minuted and accounts were held separately from those relating the the Almshouses themselves. This more formal management of the Reading Rooms was as a result of a significant grant from the Dorset Council towards their refurbishment.

In 2025, the Trustees decided to integrate the management and budget of the Almshouses within the Almshouses (which previously had separate accounts and management structure).

The current concept is that the Reading Rooms are an integral part of the Almshouses and that the priority for their use resides with our Residents. Residents can use the Reading Rooms for free for hobbies, meeting with family, evening party's etc. This facility is enshrined within the residents Letter of Appointment. The Reading Rooms can also be used for village meetings, social and hobby groups such as the Parish Council, lunch club, whist club, yoga group etc for which a fee is payable. Co-ordination for the use of the Reading Rooms is undertaken by the Booking Clerk.

Room Booking and Booking Fee Collection

The Booking Clerk keeps a dairy of all bookings for the Reading Rooms as well as holding a spare key for the Rooms. An additional key is held in a key safe located in the store shed behind the left hand side of the Almshouses, to which the Clerk holds the code (1647).

Users of the Readings Rooms are charged per session, which is essentially morning, afternoon or evening. Users either pay cash for their use or cheque (collected by the Booking Clerk) or by BACS directly to the Almshouse bank account. The Booking Clerk gives details of bookings, and the cash and cheques, to the Almshouse Clerk monthly, who adds these to the Almshouse accounts spreadsheet and pays them in to the bank via the local post office.

'Management' of the Reading Rooms

The Almshouse Clerk is responsible for all aspect of management and maintenance of the Reading Rooms. There are no separate accounts, formal meetings etc. All Reading Room matters are included in the Trustees meetings as required.

The Almshouse Clerk organises a meeting each year for representatives of the main users of the Reading Rooms to ensure that he/she understands any concerns or new requirements of the user community. Notes are taken, but these are not formal minutes.

Services (Water and Sewage, Electricity, Heating, Broadband)

Details of how the various systems are technically implemented for the Reading Rooms can be found in the 'Reading Rooms Systems' web page.

Water: No water meter is fitted to the Almshouses or Reading Rooms. Billing for the Reading Rooms is through Water2Business and is implemented through a Direct Debit. The Almshouses water supply is billed separately through Wessex Water. Note that Water2Business is a the business customer arm of Wessex Water and the Reading Rooms are classified as a 'business' for water supply purposes as it is not residential.

Electricity: Power is provided through SSe Energy Solutions. All billing is through a Direct Debit.

Heating: The main hall is heated via a traditional oil fired central heating boiler. The oil tank is located on the slope above the Reading Rooms and oil is ordered as required. We call around for the cheapest supplier, but Darch Oil seems to be most often the most cost effective. Toilets are heated using oil tubular heaters giving background heat whilst all other areas are heated using wall mounted electric heaters with fan blowers.

Broadband: Broadband is provided by Wessex Internet. The cost is £1 per month, negotiated with the company, as we are a charity and village hall. Payment is by Direct Debit.

Risk Management

The Reading Rooms are used by our residents and the general public for a wide range of activities. In order to minimise the risk to everyone using these facilities, the Almshouse Clerk maintains a risk register, which is regularly reviewed. A copy of the risk register is held in the Reading Rooms for viewing by all users.

Regular Checks

The Clerk organises legally required checks carried out by contractors such as electrical and fire safety. The formal paperwork from these checks is held by the Clerk in the Health and Safety file.

Additional checks are carried out by the Clerk and include: emergency lighting, fire door closure, kitchen water softener regeneration, cooker hood cleanliness. These checks are recorded and held by the Clerk in the Health and Safety File. The file is not held in the Reading Rooms, as it would be needed as evidence that these checks are being carried out in case of fire etc and the records would therefore be at risk.

Insurance

The Reading Rooms used to be insured separately from the Almshouse houses when separate accounts were held. At the next renewal, the insurance main insurance policy will be integrated and one policy will cover the entire building and land.