Haydon Bridge
Haydon Bridge Reading Room
Last Updated:
18 Dec 2024
Haydon Bridge
This is a
Reading Room
54.973533, -2.246974
Founded in
Current status is
Extant
Designer (if known):
Now a B&B
I love a good reading room. They dot the countryside like chapels and farmsteads, and we still see them lurking around today though in almost all cases repurposed.
This is Haydon Bridge's old reading room, now a B&B under the same name. It's situated right next to the bridge itself, and the naked stonework on the ground floor gives us a bit of an idea of its age.
The council cite this building dates from 1838, but the tithe plan of 1841 proves otherwise as this was bare land at this time. It appears to have actually opened in the beginning of 1851 as the Haydon Bridge Working Mens Reading Room. Much of the money to fund this building was provided by the Rev. C Bird of Chollerton and the Rev. Richmond of this town, who was based at St Cuthbert's next door.
A reading room provided a vehicle for academic & leisurely pursuits for those who subscribed. As such, members took day trips to local historic sites like Housesteads Fort and hosted lectures to "encourage habits of "reading and self-improvement".
Thomas J Bewick was the chair of the club in the 1860s - born in Bywell but a renowned engineer known nationally. He was the chief engineer of W B Beaumont, who crammed this landscape with lead mines. He was also the man who designed the Blackett Level which can still be seen at Allendale. He was also the engineer of the Hexham & Allendale Railway, and it was he who held the mineral rights over the Langley Barony. You could argue he directly influenced this landscape and much of what we've discussed this month more than any single individual.
The building itself is rather insignificant, but plays a major role in the modernisation of Haydon Bridge bring knowledge and literature to a largely industrial & agricultural settlement.
Listing Description (if available)
As per the present too, little has changed in Haydon Bridge since the late 19th century. Here, we see the transition from the 1860s to the 1890s with the reading room located on the northern end of the bridge itself. The main changes we see explicitly is the "filling in the gaps" of the town centre as well as the northern edge next to the railway. Church Street, then Walton Place, became the main thoroughfare and therefore landed itself a second place of worship, the Primitive Chapel, and a terraced row on the west side. The station was expanded with further sidings and a goods yard, as well as housing development off the North Bank - most of which still remain. The rest of Haydon Bridge developed in later decades as you'll see below.
The infrastructure of the town was fully realised by 1922. Sewage & Gas Works were found against the Tyne on the eastern side, almshouses and schools were located on the southern fringes opposite the town hall, and a cricket ground was bedded in off the North Bank. The reading room was enduring throughout this period nestled in between all these new developments. The more suburban developments came in the mid 20th century.
The now converted reading room in November 2024
The Reading Room in the 1950s. The bay windows have been removed perhaps due to rot. Unknown original source.
The reading room and Haydon Bridge from an aerial shot taken in 1925. Source: © Historic England. Aerofilms Collection EPW014314 flown 24 September 1925