Thringstone House 100 Project (1901 - 2001)

Thringstone House Community Centre

(Photo by P Brotherhood)

In 1886 Charles Booth, the great philanthropist and social reformer, moved from London with his family to live at Gracedieu Manor. The Booths took an extraordinary interest in the life of Thringstone and as a result of their constant acts of kindness and generosity the village was to benefit immeasurably in its development and welfare over the next fifty years.

To this day, hundreds of local people still benefit from their provision of "The Thringstone Trust". This has its origins in 1901, when Charles purchased 'Thringstone House', a lovely eighteenth century farm dwelling situated by the village green, for the purpose of providing local inhabitants with a meeting place for social, educational and recreational activity.

This little venture, which became known as the 'Thringstone House Club' proved so successful that in 1911 Booth engaged his cousin, the architect, Harry Fletcher of London, to add the imposing two-storeyed hall to the rear of the premises and founded the Thringstone Trust, a registered charity, which states that the institute and its grounds shall be used in perpetuity for the benefit of the inhabitants of Thringstone and the surrounding parishes of Whitwick, Swannington, Worthington, Osgathorpe, Coleorton and Belton.

During the inter-war years, the 'Clubhouse' became a hugely popular dance venue and was renowned for its 'sprung' dance floor. While legend has it that the village green was once the site of a marriage market, it is certainly the case that many matches were made at the club dances.

By the late 1940s, the money that Booth had left in trust for the upkeep of the club premises simply wasn't enough for all that was needed in changed times. Moreover, the Booth family had moved out of the district, while another of the Booth Family Trustees, Captain J M Ritchie, had been killed on active service. The lack of resources and the impossibility of sustaining an active Booth family link forced the Trustee members to approach the County Council under the Physical Training Act of 1937, as amended by the Education Act of 1944. This was done with the permission of the Charity Commissioners and on Saturday December 2nd 1950, Lady Gore Browne unveiled a plaque in the upstairs Hall, commemorating the foundation of the Thringstone Trust by her parents, and formally handing over Trusteeship to the Leicestershire County Council. A member of the Booth family (James Gore Browne) remains honorary president of the institute however, which proudly lays claim to being the oldest of its kind in the country.

The year 2001 will mark the 100th anniversary of Thringstone House as a community facility, and we hope to develop this part of the site considerably to commemorate this achievement. The Centre continues to be a hive of activity, with an estimated average of 1,000 users per week, a fact that would surely have delighted its esteemed founder.

(SNB)

Charles Booth,1863 Mary Booth,1873

Charles and Mary Booth.

The Superintendents and Wardens of Thringstone House
The Thringstone Jollies Pierrot Concert Party
Thringstone Pantomime and Drama Society

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