News

As can be seen in the first photo below, the flagpole’s tabernacle (the timber post to which the flagpole is attached) has become rotten and needs to be replaced. In preparation for this, the flagpole was removed in what was quite a tricky operation. Whilst the tabernacle is being replaced, the flagpole will be repainted.

In early March, Herbert Snowden retired after 38 years as the Reading Room’s caretaker. On his final day Herbert was thanked for his lengthy service by the Reading Room’s Chairman, Graham Denny.

We are pleased to announce that as from 1st March we will be reinstating the newspapers in the Reading Room.  From Monday to Saturday it will be The East Anglian Daily Times and The Times, and on Sundays, The Sunday Times.Games, including Chess and Scrabble, will also be put out on the table in the Main Room which is open to the public. We would like to remind you that anyone under the age of …

The Reading Room will be open every day over the Christmas and New Year period 9.00am – 5.00pm except for 25th, 27th and 31st December and 1st January when, as no volunteers are available to open and close the building, it will be closed. Please remember to wear a face covering when visiting the Reading Room.

We are pleased to be able to announce the Reading Room will reopen on Monday 19th July. When visiting the Reading Room, we ask that you use the hand sanitiser, wear a face covering and maintain social distancing. The Reading Room will be open 9.00am – 8.00pm every day until the end of September, after which the winter opening hours will operate. Please note that as the Reading Room is opened and closed by volunteers, …

It is hoped we will be able to reopen the Reading Room when the lockdown roadmap reaches Step 4 which it is currently hoped will be on 21st June. Whilst we are making preparations for 21st June, if the government decides to delay Step 4 or introduces other regulations we may need to delay reopening until a later date.

We have registered with the Cash for Charities scheme which is being run by the local newspapers. This means we will get a share of the £20,000 fund which is going to be shared by the charities which have registered for the scheme. How much of the fund we get depends on how many vouchers we can collect, the £20,000 will be split according to the proportion to the numbers of vouchers each participating charity …

If you are watching Kate Humble’s new series on Channel 5, you may have spotted some views of Southwold in the opening titles. Last summer Kate Humble and her film crew visited the Reading Room whilst walking along the Suffolk coast for one of the episodes. The episode is due to be shown on Friday 12th March.

The Trustee/Directors of the Reading Room have reviewed the latest government requirements around reopening museums. They have reluctantly reached the decision that the design, layout and operating arrangements of the Reading Room mean that it is not currently possible to provide a COVID secure environment for our members and visitors and so the Reading Room will remain closed. Whilst it is recognised that this decision will be disappointing to anyone wishing to visit the Reading …

Given the COVID-19 pandemic and recent government guidance the Directors of the Reading Room have decided to close the Reading Room until further notice. When we are able to reopen, further information will be given on this website.