MEM24784 - Wootton Courtenay Reading Room (Monument)

A hut between Wreford and Fernlea was known as the Reading Room and used as a meeting place, mainly by young people, for social gatherings, games and cards. It was moved to become the kitchen block for the Village Hall, which was discussed by the Parish Council in 1931. [1] A small rectangular structure is shown on the 25 inch 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map at c.SS 9377 4336, between Wreford Cottage and Fernlea. This is presumably the Reading Room discussed in [1]. [2] A village hall (MEM24785) first appears on the 1962 Ordnance Survey map, although it is unlabelled. The Reading Room is still extant at this time. [3,4] By the time the 1972 Ordnance Survey map was surveyed, the Reading Room had been removed and the site redeveloped. The Village Hall is labelled and appears to have been extended, presumably incorporating the hut at this time. [5] The Village Hall had been replaced by a newer building situated to the north in 2018. [6] The new village hall dates to 2001. [7]