Author Archives: Tom Bright

As you may have noticed, the Reading Room has been missing its flagpole for some time. It had to be removed when the tabernacle (the support for the flagpole which goes into the ground) became dangerously rotten. After detailed investigations into a purchasing a replacement, which included surveys to ensure the flagpole would remain secure in the windiest conditions, work has commenced on installing the replacement. The first stage involved digging out the remains of …

In September, Caroline Wynne Willson, a descendant of Captain Rayley’s first wife, visited the Reading Room with her husband George. During their visit she kindly made a donation of a number of his photographs and letters along with his document case. The Reading Room was built in memory of Captain Rayley in 1864, for more information on Captain Rayley, please see the History page.

The snooker table has been refurbished and a new cloth fitted. As part of the refurbishment the angles of the pockets were all measured to ensure they met current requirements. The fitter advised that whilst the weight of the cloth is the same as the one which was removed, it will be faster as it is a slightly thinner cloth.

The Southwold and District Rotary Club have generously made a donation to the Reading Room. A photograph of the cheque presentation can be seen below.

We would like to thank everyone who attended the Harbour Lights Trio’s concert. Over £400 was raised to support the Reading Room.

The Reading Room will be closed for essential maintenance from Monday 14th to Friday 18th November 2022. We plan to reopen on Saturday 19th November.

UPDATE: Please note, all tickets for the concert have now been sold. Thank you for your support. ‘East Anglian Songs of the Sea’ with the Harbour Lights Trio will take place at the Reading Room at 7.00pm on Friday 11th November 2022. Tickets for this concert are £10 (cash only) and are available only at Chapmans Newsagent in Southwold High Street. There are a limited number of tickets and they will be sold on a …

On Monday 19th September the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will take place. As a mark of respect, the Reading Room will be closed for the day.

An informal evening of drinks and entertainment was held for Reading Room members on 4th June. As can be seen, an enjoyable time was had by all who attended. The entertainment was provided by the Harbour Lights Trio.

Tom Charles, who lives locally, took photos of the Reading Room for inclusion in his final degree project. He has now produced a photobook containing these images and will be donating all proceeds to the Reading Room. The photobook can be purchased from his website at https://tomcharles.photography/shop/p/ssrr-photobook-green