• Swindon & Wiltshire News
• Tuesday April 8 2025
• Author Name: Lazy Lulu

Fancy a gold toilet?

Were you lucky enough to pee on America, the gold toilet sculpture by artist Maurizio Cattelan, before it was stolen hours after installation at Blenheim Palace? You may be inspired to fund another fully functional toilet in a community arts Newbury setting.

The latest heritage building requiring a quality comfort break is the Old Library in Newbury.

It’s part of a £2.6 million purchase and upgrade project between Greenham Trust and The Corn Exchange (Newbury) Trust to convert it to a centre for community arts.

Since the opening of the new library on the wharf of the Kennet and Avon canal back in 2000, the lending of books was replaced by the eating of pizza by casual Italian dining chain Prezzo.

When Prezzo closed in 2018, the Edwardian building has been standing empty and neglected.

Now in 2025 the building is on the verge of reopening – once it has secured the funds for staging and seating, a cafe and bar and the all important toilets.

View of Cheap Street, Newbury in 1912 – the recently opened library is the foreground building on the right

Old Library Newbury

One of 660 Carnegie libraries built from the late 1880s, the construction and outfitting of the building completed in 1906 was funded by Victorian Scottish-American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and through public subscription.

History has come full circle as the public has contributed to the fundraising effort to bring the building back into community use, with the help of the Carnegie of the 2020s – the Greenham Trust.

Greenham Trust

Back in 1997 the Trust was formed to buy the old Greenham Common airbase from the MOD, for £7.5 million. “The objective was to create a property-centred social enterprise that would lease buildings to companies and generate a rental income that net of management costs would create surpluses for charitable giving in West Berkshire and north Hampshire,” said Chris Boulton, the Trust’s chief executive.

The Common evolved into Greenham Business Park and is today is worth more than £100 million and gives away almost the original price of the airbase in funding each year. This is mostly in small grants, but in 2023, the mouldering Old Library was bought, windows replaced, and roof refurbished for £1.4 million, with The Corn Exchange Trust fundraising the rest of the work for the community arts building.

The Trust has a longstanding relationship with the Corn Exchange who have managed the Trust’s visual arts venue since the early noughties. The old airbase mess hall which housed New Greenham Arts was knocked down and replaced by a purpose-built venue, funded by Greenham Trust to the tune of £1.7 million, and reopened as The Base in 2019. And in 2014, the Corn Exchange worked with the Trust to establish 101 Outdoor Arts, a national centre for the creation of large-scale performance complete with artists’ village.

Corn Exchange Market Place entrance, photo © Tim Easton

Newbury Corn Exchange

The Corn Exchange, in Newbury’s Market Place, is a 400 seater presenting theatre, which means most of its performances are bought in on tour. Its upstairs dance studio and rehearsal space become a boutique cinema back in 2007. But its community outreach work has grown exponentially over the last decade and now services 27,000 participants a year of mainly young people, schools, under 5s, new parents, older people and the long-standing Newbury Youth Theatre.

The Corn Exchange expects participant numbers to rise to 40,000 a year through a combination of local demand and funding opportunities such as the Lottery funded Aging Creatively programme for the over 55s. This growth would be inhibited by the existing use of temporary spaces such as the former Barclays Bank or the Learning Centre on Winchcombe Street.

“This area of our work provides a lifeline to many local people and is more vital now than ever before: reducing social isolation and loneliness within our community; improving mental health locally; and supporting young people in building confidence and self-esteem,” said Jessica Jhundoo-Evans, director of the Corn Exchange and 101 Outdoor Arts.

Interior of the Old Library, before refurbishment, photo © Adam Hillier

Old Library – new community arts Newbury space

The Old Library, with its attractive historical frontage, double-height reading room and mezzanine floor in the town’s heritage district, seems the ideal space for the community arts Newbury work of the Corn Exchange who will lease the building from Greenham Trust. The main library space is set to become a 100 seat studio theatre with retractable seating, a bar and cafe open to the public, and dedicated upstairs workshop space.

The rest of the renovation and adaptation work will cost around £1.2 million. Over the last year, the Corn Exchange has raised an impressive £793K with a combination of personal giving and fundraising events such as comedian Al Murray’s Pubtastic fundraiser back in June 2024, and grants such as £50K from a Community Infrastructure Levy and backers like the Garfield Weston Foundation.

The money raised so far has been enough to pay for the architects, planning, demolition work on the existing toilets and kitchen, and to begin construction. They expect £300K to be raised from mostly grant funding and pledged funds, with £100K raised from the local community, charitable trusts and local businesses.

“We can’t wait to reopen the Old Library so that it can once again be a hub for our community. We know the positive impact that engagement with creative activity can have and the work we can deliver at the Old Library will benefit thousands of people’s lives,” said Ruth Stillman, the Corn Exchange head of development.

Local businesses can have their own named seats…or toilet

Local businesses can get involved in small and big ways, from staff fundraising coffee mornings and sponsored sports events, to having a room named after them. Amongst furniture which could be dedicated with a name are the retractable seats and those toilets (gold would carry a £4.8 million price tag and would need to come with funding for 24 hour security guards, CCTV and reinforced toilet walls and doors, but you would expect to jump the queue).

“We really need that permanent home for all our participation and well-being activities,” said Ruth.

“Having made a significant investment in getting this wonderful community building back from the brink, we are really pleased to partner with the Corn Exchange,” said Rob Daniels, head of grants at Greenham Trust.

If you want to be part of the fundraising effort, contact Ruth Stillman or make a direct donation at the Good Exchange.

This article is strictly copyright Business Biscuit 2025 and is not to be reproduced without permission.

Featured image of the Old Library © Eden Harrhy