A year after moving to Keswick New Hall, John Henry Gurney Jr. paid for a reading room to
be built in Keswick in 1887 for the use of the villagers. The reading room was put to great use
straight away, and in the 1890s several donations were made to the Norfolk & Norwich
Hospital from the proceeds of ‘entertainments’ held there.

Over the years the reading room has been used for concerts, parties, whist drives, and sports
such as billiards (Keswick had an outstanding billiards team in the 1920s and 1930s). From
the 1950s the Women’s Institute and Mothers’ Union met there once a month.

After the Second World War the reading room was used as a library for an hour on Thursday
afternoons. It was well stocked, with the books being kept in a cupboard. There was a complete
change of books every three months. The reading room library continued for many years until
it was replaced by a mobile-library service.

Improvements have been made to the reading room over the years. The first major one was to
add a kitchen in the 1950s; before then villagers would bring food and crockery from their
homes. Indoor lavatories were added much later, and now there is provision for wheelchair
access.

The COVID19 pandemic forced the closure of the Reading Room which allowed some major
renovations to take place. Scaffolding was erected to repaint the vaulted ceiling and a survey
carried out to ensure any asbestos had been removed. Wiring was brought up to modern
standards. Wifi was installed and an online calendar set up on the Keswick and Intwood Parish
Council web site. The garden and railings were also installed at this time.

THE RAILINGS

The railings were added in 2023. They were designed, fabricated and installed by Holkham Forge – with a theme based on books, for a reading room, and poppies for remembrance.

The crests on the gate belong to the Gurney family: