Hutton-le-Hole Band Drum

Hutton-le-Hole's Reading Room must have been a fun place to spend the evening, as seen in some of the photographs from the Museum’s archives. In these photos you can spot this huge drum which was used by Dance Band. The noise must have been phenomenal inside this tiny building, especially when the drummer joined other musicians playing accordions, violins and ukuleles!

We know this is a military-style drum, but we are unsure of its origins. There are metal loops on the side of the drum, which would have allowed a harness to be attached for marching.

The Reading Room began life as the village’s first school in 1845, until it became a private home in 1875, when a new, larger school was built. In 1914, it was sold to the village for £20 and used at the Reading Room until 1939, when the Village Hall was built. Today, the Reading Room is a private residence again, and can be seen down near the beck, in the centre of the village.

The drum was donated to the Museum in 1999, by the Village Hall Committee and is now kept safely in our store.