Welcome to the

The Christian Reading Rooms / Young Farmers' Hut

On one corner of the Village crossroads is the Cricklade and Purton Young Farmers Clubhouse.
It started off as a community project to build a Christian Reading Rooms at the entrance to the Village. This was achieved largely due to the efforts of Miss Warrender of Purton Stoke House, with contributions from various friends, in 1908 at a cost of £250. And so it was used for many years as the Christian Reading Room, a meeting place, a dance hall, a youth club and on Sundays for services. During the Second World War it was the Headquarters of the HOME GUARD until in 1972 after many years of neglect, a Village Meeting was held in the School, and it was agreed to sell it to Mr. Ernie Clark at Corner Farm.
The proceeds, £140, were at first held in a Village Trust Fund. In 1983 the three elected trustees, Jeanne Perons, Howard Ockwell and Jim Caslaw called a public meeting and it was agreed to donate it all to the newly created Purton Stoke Fund for the construction of trestle tables. Alan Pinnock made them.
The Cricklade and Purton Young Farmers bought it from Ernie Clark and have been using and upgrading it ever since. In 1994 they set it up as a Charity. (John Cook, Richard Scott and Richard Rummings are Trustees.)
The Purton Stoke Fund has been using it every year, for Coffee Mornings, Bazaars, Dances, the Christmas Dinner, Parties etc., hired at an hourly rate, ever since their formation in 1979.
In 2001, after the very successful Scarecrow and Open Gardens Weekend, a sum of £1954 was donated to the Young Farmers' Club, in order to treat and paint the corrugated exterior.
We were concerned to ensure that the hut continues to function and to that end have let the Trustees and Young Farmers know that we may be able to help in some way.