Stanhoe Village Hall
& Reading Room
See the What’s On page for upcoming events at the Village Hall.
You can find the Village Hall & Reading Room halfway down Cross Lane. If you are using satnav, use postcode PE31 8PS.
Stanhoe’s Village Hall & Reading Room is the perfect place for family gatherings, wedding receptions, children’s parties, public meetings, classes and lectures. Regular events include Parish Council meetings, bar nights, film nights, art workshops, exercise classes and a coffee morning every Tuesday.
The hall seats up to 100 people. There’s a kitchen, tables and chairs, plus optional facilities including a licensed bar, extra tables, a digital projector with 2.4m (8 ft) wall-mounted screen, and an audio system with a wireless microphone. Behind the hall are the playing field and a well-equipped play area for children.
Booking the hall
To book Stanhoe Village Hall & Reading Room please contact Laura Pocock (Tel: 01485 592 362).
In the summer (1 April–30 September) the cost is £10 an hour for Stanhoe residents and £18 an hour for anyone outside Stanhoe. In the winter (1 October–31 March) the rates are £14 an hour for residents and £20 an hour for non-residents.
Large events involving the playing field as well as the hall are charged at £115 resident/ £160 non-resident for the day of the event, plus £40 per day for set-up and take-down days either side of the event.
You can pay by bank transfer to:
Sort code: 20-30-81 (Barclays Bank)
Account name: MEHM Trust
Account number: 10270660
Please include a reference (the name of your organisation, or your own name) so that we know where the payment has come from.
Alternatively, write a cheque to “MEHM Trust” and send it to Laura Pocock, Everitt House, Parsons Lane, Stanhoe, Norfolk PE31 8QW.
Mary Esther Hollway
Memorial Trust
Stanhoe’s Reading Room was set up in the late 1800s ‘to provide a village reading room and club for the use and mental improvement of the male inhabitants’.
The Reading Room, also known as Stanhoe Village Hall, is now administered by a charity, the Mary Esther Hollway Memorial Reading Room (MEHM Trust) (registered charity number 208302), for the benefit of the entire community of Stanhoe and Barwick, and beyond.
The MEHM Trust also owns the playing field behind the Reading Room, which is managed by the Parish Council.
Currently the trustees are Laura Pocock (chairman), Jill Husselby, Anne Jackson, Roddy Rowe, Katherine Hattrell and Steve Shaw.
The Reading Room
improvement project
Over the years the MEHM Trust has worked hard to modernise and improve the Reading Room. The result is a welcoming multi-purpose hall that attracts users from outside Stanhoe as well as within the village.
In 2015 the Trust was able to buy the freehold of the playing field next to the Reading Room, making sure that this valuable amenity will always be under the direct control of the village.
There has been new heating, flooring, furnishings, lighting and redecoration, plus maintenance work on the adjoining Caretaker’s Cottage and heating there too. Future plans include internet access and a kitchen refit.
The improvements have been paid for by a generous bequest from the former Stanhoe Sports and Social Club and grants from the Jack’s Lane Wind Farm Community Fund, via Norfolk Community Foundation, as well as fundraising activities in the village.
Income also comes from regular events like pop-up suppers, workshops, film nights, bar nights and more.
If you’d like to find out more about the MEHM, become a Trustee, or just find out more about the modernisation project, contact MEHM Trust chairman Laura Pocock.
We welcome donations, which we use to improve the Village Hall/Reading Room and promote activities for the enjoyment of Stanhoe and Barwick residents.