Situated in the heart of a post war housing estate in Grenoside just north of Sheffield, the Reading Room dates back to c.1790, and is just one of two listed buildings in the village.
The restoration project was undertaken by Manchester-based building conservation specialists William Anelay Ltd. The work involved the demolition of an adjoining ‘lean to’, the construction of a new 25 square metre replacement extension incorporating a kitchen area and toilet facilities as well as extensive fabric repairs and remodelling of the 65 square metre Reading Room.
Weather was the biggest challenge in the project with over 12” of snow stalling progress. Access was another issue as the Reading Room is linked to the rear of an existing house which served as the home for the headmaster in past days.
The first phase of works involved stripping out all of the electrics and existing plasterwork before beginning the excavations in and around the Reading Room. The lean to extension was then demolished with many of the small stone coins put aside for re-use on the new build. The new extension is constructed from Stoke Hall stone supplied by Derbyshire-based Stancliffe Stone as well as 19 tons of locally sourced reclaimed slate on the roof.
The Reading Room has now become a complete DDA compliant community hub. Managed by the Grenoside Reading Room Trustees, the work has been funded with a £218,000 ($333, 714) grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Originally a school, the venue became a reading room and library in 1893 and later served as a youth club and snooker hall.
