The Grade II Listed Grenoside Reading Room in Yorkshire has entered a new chapter of its existence thanks to the small works division of York and Manchester based building conservation specialist William Anelay and Sheffield architect Elden Minns & Co.

Grenoside Reading Room is one of Yorkshire’s most intriguing – and, at 65m², tiny – historic venues. It is on a post war housing estate in Grenoside just north of Sheffield and dates back to 1790.

Built of locally quarried coal measure sandstone as a school, it became a reading room and library in 1893 and recently has served as a youth club and snooker hall.

The renovation work began in April but was unexpectedly held up by 300mm of snow.

The project was funded by a £218,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and involved the demolition of a lean-to and construction of a 25m² replacement using quoins reclaimed from the earlier building supplemented with Stoke Hall sandstone walling from Stancliffe. It houses a kitchen and toilet.

Anelay also carried out extensive fabric repairs to and remodelling of the Reading Room itself.

Anelay Project Manager Ollie Hughes said there had been a lot of interest in the work by local people. “It’s clearly a building that is much valued by the people of Grenoside,” he said.