Reading Room
The Reading Room is understood to have been established by Miss Mary Upcher, the younger daughter of the Rev A W Upcher. It doesn’t appear on the 1882 25 inch to the mile OS map of the village so it must have been constructed between then and the mid-1890s.
Reading Rooms were established nationally in the Victorian period. Often, funded by subscription, they were intended to improve literacy across the population. A modern publication suggests there were about 160 constructed across Norfolk. There were many more, nationally.
It is believed that Reading Rooms were considered a direct alternative to the public house – providing alcohol-free recreation!
In Wreningham, the Reading Room came under the control of the rector.
Wreningham’s Reading Room site had once been farmland. In the early 1800s, it had formed one part of a field belonging to Toprow farmer, Charles Elden.
Canon Fardell appears to have funded a ‘library’ system for the Reading Room. R D Day’s ledger shows the bill for printing 100 Book Club cards (each) for Wreningham, Fundenhall and Ashwellthorpe. In addition, Day printed 200 sets of ‘Library Rules’ and 100 ‘Order Forms with Counterfoil’.
In January 1902, R D Day provided three blinds, rollers and fittings for 19s.
A 1903 page in R D Day’s ledger names (village postmaster) Frederick Bell as ‘Secretary of the Club Room’.
In 1903, R D Day was also engaged to provide 18 feet of rail and 10 poles and use it to construct fencing in front of the Reading Room. The addition of a ‘latch and keeper’ (a gate, perhaps?) brought the total bill to 10s 6d.
A Reading Room Story
Carrying out unusual activities to raise money for good causes is not a modern phenomenon. Here is village resident, Frederick Chamberlain, raising money for the Reading Room by walking around the village on stilts during the 1930s.
During WW2, the Reading Room was the headquarters for the village’s Home Guard unit and the village’s first-aid centre.
The Reading Room building was largely constructed from wood and eventually fell into disrepair; it was demolished in 1966. Whilst the Reading Room had always been the responsibility of the rector, the area of land on which it was built was taken over by the Parish Council in 1970.
Old habits die hard. Hence, this grassy plot of land once occupied by its wooden structure, is still known as ‘The Reading Room‘!
The Village Sign
The Village Sign was installed at the Reading Room in 1977 as part of the village’s celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee. The wooden part of the structure was designed and fabricated by Ian Foster who lived at Cheriton Cottage, Fir Grove.
The following text was published in the village’s 1977 celebration booklet:
The Village Sign which was erected to commemorate the Silver Jubilee (of Queen Elizabeth II) was designed and made in the village from English Oak and was paid for by donations from the village.
The sign bears the names of the three parishes which were united in the early 15th century to form the present parish of Wreningham and on the reverse appears the coats of arms of prominent families and lords of the manor connected with these parishes.
Wreningham Parva, Little Wreningham or St Mary was held by Ketel the Dane in the Confessor’s time but eventually passed into the hands of the Bigods who were to become the first Earls of Norfolk. The de Thorpe family were patrons of this parish according to earliest records and the coat of arms of Sir John de Thorpe appears on the reverse.
Nelonde St Peter has also been called Newland and Nailyng and in Domesday was called Eiland, or the land at the eye or island. This parish was united to Little Wreningham on 7th April 1406. The Bigods also held this but the parish also contained the site of Nerfords Manor where the ancient family of Belhouse resided. The arms of the Belhouse family appear on this portion of the sign. This church was demolished at the time of the Reformation and was situated between Wreningham and Ashwellthorpe.
Wreningham Magna or Great Wreningham had three manors in it, the manor of Belhouse Hall, the site of the manor house being in Nayland Parish and the manor of Moignes or Moneys. This parish was united with the previously mentioned parish in 1414 to form Wreningham All Saints as we (now) know it. On the back of this portion of the sign are the coats of arms of the Bigods, the le Moigne’s and the de Nerfords.
Sadly, the various coats of arms are no longer on the sign, whilst the wooden circle needed to be replaced after the original started to fall apart. The elements have certainly taken their toll.
The village sign also has a legend carved into its central panel together with a carved representation. This reads as follows:
“A 13th Century Lady of the Manor was a witch dominating it to evil purpose. A knight failed to kill her because she changed into a wren. She comes back every St Stephens Day and is hunted by the villagers who beat the hedges with sticks and carry the dead wren in triumph.”
One of the above images shows a representation of the witch and wren legend which was carved into the upright of the sign.