Great Baddow Arts & Leisure Centre

 

 

It may be difficult to imagine but for many years the Reading Rooms were the hub of social life in Great Baddow, indeed, with the exception of the various pubs in the village, they provided the only social centre for the local residents until well into the 20th Century and they are very much a part of the history of the Parish.

 

We are, therefore, both pleased and proud not only to have preserved this history for the community but also to be re-establishing the Reading Rooms as the thriving social centre they once were.

 

A reading room had existed in various locations in the village since 1865, the first being

‘at the parochial room in the churchyard’, believed to be the old Chantry School, which is

now used as the church offices. The creation of the reading room was undoubtedly a

reflection on the increase in the provision of education which was taking place at that time

and was designed to provide reading material to those (probably the majority) who would

have been unable to purchase books or newspapers. We are fortunate that hand written

drafts of the rules have been preserved as well as an early printed version although it is

not possible to accurately date this. It is interesting to note the names of the committee,

shown on that document, some of whom were probably among the founders. Many of the

names will be familiar to those who have studied the history of the parish and it is no

coincidence that a number of them also appear in a photograph of the parish council

from that era.

 

We know from a newspaper cutting which, happily has been preserved, that after about 20 years the Reading Rooms moved to a new location, ‘a large room – in years gone by the county ballroom – adjoining the Bell Inn’. This would have been in about 1885 when according to the newspaper report there were 60 members and presumably the primary function was still a reading room and lending library but it is clear from the minute book of 1897, the earliest available, that by that time the use had expanded. There are references of use by a slate club, athletic club including football, cricket, quoits etc, presumably for committee meetings and also games were apparently played, ‘cannon’ and dominoes are mentioned and it seems that there was also a billiard table and a piano. Clearly a social element now figured prominently and it seems that other rooms were also being used.In 1899 the Brewery Company let the Bell Inn to fresh tenants and this seems to have prompted the committee to consider acquiring fresh premises.

 

Unfortunately, the minutes contain very little detail about the acquisition of the site or the actual construction and comments are restricted to the projected completion date, which inevitably was postponed ‘due to a delay in passing of the plans’. This was reported on the 7th March 1901, there is no indication of when the plans were approved but on the 1st November 1901 the new Reading Rooms were opened, so we can assume that the actual construction was a fairly speedy process and the committee were no doubt very proud of their new, state of the art premises.

 

There is however one clue with regard to the financing of the new building which appears in the minutes several years later, when a certain Mr. H. W. Smithers moved away from the village. In a letter, which the committee unanimously agreed should be sent, the comment is made that 'but for your generosity we would not now be in our own rooms.' We also know that the land on which the Reading Rooms were built formed part of Foxholes, then occupied by Mr. C. R. Finch who at that time was the treasurer and whose name appears in the earliest records. He became a trustee as well as remaining as a committee member for some years subsequently. Interestingly, it is not until 1923 that the Trust Deed was actually drawn up, by which time one of the Trustees had died, but from that deed we learn that the land was conveyed for a sum of £105 by C. R. Finch to C. R. Finch and others as trustees. By that time Mr. Finch had become a vice president but his name continues to appear in the minutes until his death in late 1926 by which time he would have been involved with the committee for at least thirty years and probably a great deal longer. It is also clear from earlier minutes that he played his part in fund raising, as on two occasions he had exhibited and talked about his collection of glass and china.

 

However to return to the history of the new rooms, we know from the rules and various other references that gambling and improper language were strictly forbidden, but in other respects the committee were ahead of their time, for in 1902 it was unanimously agreed that membership should be extended to ladies and there seems to have been a considerable amount of canvassing to ensure that ladies were recruited.

 

Card playing was however a vexed issue, playing of whist and cribbage had first been mooted in 1897 but the proposal had been rejected, it was raised again in 1901 and was approved at an Annual General Meeting, but a subsequent committee meeting refused to endorse this as attendance at the said meeting had been so low. Perseverance paid off and eventually both cribbage and whist were allowed and subsequently ‘ Don ‘? was also deemed as acceptable.

 

The picture that emerges from the terse references in the minute books is of a very active organisation with a wide range of social activities taking place. In addition to card playing and dominoes we know there was a billiard table, the demand for which required separate rules to be established, ping pong is also mentioned as is bagatelle and there was an entertainments committee which arranged tournaments and reference is also made to recitals, carol concerts and other such diversions.

 

There were of course the inevitable squabbles, it was for instance necessary for the Secretary to write to several gentlemen, asking them to desist from playing ‘nap’, which was not an approved game and some younger members received cautions on account of ‘using language not at all becoming to a well conducted reading room’ but with these exceptions life progressed in much the same way until September of 1914 at which point the minutes abruptly stop and are not resumed until November of 1922. There is a certain poignancy to these last pre war minutes which records that the military were already using the building but due to the cost of gas(for lighting) the committee felt obliged to ask them to pay for the use of the billiard table.

 

It is not clear why there were no post war minutes until 1922 since it is evident from these first minutes that the premises were already in use by the Slate Club, the Cricket and Football Club and the Children’s Welfare. It is evident that the need for renovation of the premises was a major consideration and shortly after the question of the provision of toilet facility was raised. Presumably there had been no such facilities previously and we can only guess at the nature of the erection that was decided upon, but we do know that it had become a contentious issue over the years with several references to complaints by neighbours with regard to gentlemen relieving themselves at the side of the building. One interesting point arose almost immediately on completion of the work, when a member enquired why the opportunity had not been taken to run the water pipe into the main building, We can only conjecture that until this time any water that was needed was obtained from a nearby well.

 

The strong ties with the various sporting bodies in the village is most clearly demonstrated in 1923 when the Committee appear to have been the prime movers in a drive to obtain a recreation ground for the village and subsequently played a prominent part in the ongoing discussions with the Parish Council.

 

Donations and gifts played a significant part in the finances of the Reading Rooms. Many of these were small in nature and were often from committee members themselves or other local well wishers. A more interesting and unusual donation came from a Miss Duffield of Danbury who presented four pictures to hang in the rooms. Whether these had any value and as to what became of them, we may never know. We are aware of the fate of another picture which graced the reading room at some time, described as a ‘very large picture of a stag hunting scene’ which could no longer be accommodated and was presented to The Great Baddow Boys School.

 

 

In 1932 electric lighting was introduced. The subject had been raised several years previously but had been ruled out on grounds of the excessive cost. They were subsequently approached by the electric supply company who tried to involve them and other local home owners in a collaborative arrangement for the laying of cables. This was also resisted and their caution was subsequently rewarded since the supply company eventually laid the cables anyway and they were able to have lighting and points installed for the sum of £8. 10 shillings, which was exactly half as much as the first quotation that they had been given in 1929.

 

The thirties progressed with a continued expansion of use and there are references to a Welfare Clinic, The British Legion, and the Women’s Institute. Outings were organised, preparations made in conjunction with the parish council to celebrate the coronation firstly of Edward the Eighth and then George the Sixth, one member was expelled for breaking the rules and then (almost as a reminder to us of the nature of life in those bygone days) in 1939 the committee agreed that they should purchase a tumbler for the purpose of drinking water.

 

The Second World War did not have the same impact as The Great War in so far as the continuing use of the reading rooms was concerned, there are references to use by ‘The Evacuation Master’, donations of magazines to the nearby encampment and special provision for use by members of the armed forces. It is clear from several references that numbers were depleted and that finances suffered but the picture is of a conscious effort to carry on as normally as possible.

 

The immediate post war years are unremarkable as the rooms continued to fulfil its previous functions. We know that it still provided reading material since each half year unwanted magazines etc. were sold off and there were continuous discussions on the merits or otherwise of various periodicals but 1952 saw the last recorded sale and it must be assumed that this marked the decline if not the end of that function. The premises were still in demand however being used by a private preparatory school, the Essex Education Committee and as a Roman Catholic Church. Interestingly, as late as 1953 it was hired by the Ministry of Food for the distribution of ration books.

 

And so the story continued with the usual matters of managing that every organisation will be familiar with until January of 1961 when the then current minute book was complete. Sadly, after that we have a 26 year gap in the records and it is no coincidence that it was that period which saw the gradual decline of the Reading Rooms as an important feature of social life in Great Baddow, probably coinciding with the opening of Great Baddow's first Library, which at that time was housed next door in the Bell Center. When the minutes recommence in 1987 the picture has changed completely and it is one of reduced numbers facing ever increasing difficulties with the mainstay of the committee being Lewis Pearson who had first joined the committee in 1958 and gave almost 40 years service.

 

The History of the Reading Rooms is very much a social history and in their own way these minutes help to paint a fascinating picture of life in Great Baddow as we progress from the nineteenth to the twenty first century and we feel that it is important that this history, as well as the building, should be preserved.

 

 

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