About the Trust

The Watlington House Trust is run by a group of volunteers who give their own time to run this beautiful building.

The building itself is Grade II* protected and set in trust, meaning no one owns or profits from the building. The Watlington House Trust (Charity Number: 1158378) was formed in 1929 to oversee the building and running costs, and ensure the aims of the building are met. Whilst the trustees themselves have changed over the years, the format which the Committee follows remains very much unchanged along with our goal; to be a Centre of Excellence for Social & Welfare Needs.

The Trust meets 4 times a year and holds its AGM in February. Our governing document is a CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation) Foundation. The Trust is run solely by its trustees, there is no voting membership and the AGM is open only to the Trustees, who are listed on the Charity Commission Website.

Further information about the Trust (Trustees, Governance, Financial Information) may be viewed on its page on the Charity Commission Website  HERE,  our number is 1158378.

We operate on a strictly non-profit basis, meaning no one other than tenants and the building itself can benefit. The income we receive is used to off set running costs and maintaining and refurbishing the building.

Learn more about Watlington House’s history Watlington House – History and in our Wikipedia article.

Who uses the House,  Garden Hall and small meeting room?

In  2022 users of the house are; The Mills Archive,  Berkshire Youth,  Reserve Forces Employment Association , Weston & Co Architects

We welcome in particular use of the Garden Hall and small meeting room by local community groups. Users range from the AA support group through to dance groups, Yoga, Reading Folk Club, Training groups, the University, the local Doctor’s surgery, Launchpad, Reading Civic Society. The Women of the Nepalese community are regular users on Friday lunchtime, which we see as an important opportunity for them to get together.

The hall and small meeting room may however  also be hired by individuals (perhaps for weddings, parties) and companies (for meetings/ interviews, training or a quiet area to work in) but for this we charge a slightly higher hourly rate.