BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 6: 1993 



THK MOVK TO DIN TON PASTURES 



Now that the building at Dinton Pastures is completed and the remedial work by 

 the builders 6 months after completion has been approved, it is perhaps appropriate 

 to look back on how this new development in the history of the Society came about 

 and to record some of the pitfalls that arose along the way. 



We had one year's notice of the necessity to leave the Alpine Club and, as 

 Frances Murphy has already related (Br. J. Ent. Nat. Hist. 1992; 5: 129-132), 

 considerable efforts were made by some Council members to find alternative premises 

 in London. It became evident that affordable space in London to house our library 

 and collections could not be found. Possibilities outside Central London were already 

 being considered by Christmas 1989, when I attended a party at Dinton Pastures with 

 Bill Parker. Bill had run his moth trap in the park regularly over several years, thus 

 meriting an invitation, and I had attended such parties with him in earlier years but 

 had little other knowledge of the area, apart from one collecting visit in 1983. 



Bill took this opportunity to ask the country park manager, then Val Workman, 

 if they had any space that we could rent. He was later told about an existing building 

 which might become available in the following April. I then arranged to go down 

 in January 1990 to inspect this building. On my arrival, however, the suggestion was 

 immediately made by Val Workman that land could be made available for a new 

 building to be erected. This was conditional on including in its layout a 'display area' 

 for use by the local authority, Wokingham District Council as an "interpretation 

 centre". 



A site occupied by an open-sided barn (described as "Dutch" or "Yorkshire") 

 was offered and it was said that a building of up to 2000 square feet could be 

 considered. This seemed an attractive proposition if the construction could be afforded 

 by the Society. Suggestions as to likely cost were made and it seemed possible, 

 given the legacies recently received, although the cost of maintenance had also 

 to be considered. We had already concluded that a minimum of 1000 square feet 

 was necessary for our needs and 250 square feet was initially mentioned for the 

 Display Area. 



I then first raised the suggestion at the February 1990 council meeting, emphasizing 

 the central location in Southern England and easier access by road for members from 

 other parts of the country compared to Central London. So began lengthy discussions 

 that dominated the council meetings of that and the following years. It was evident 

 from the beginning that several council members were enthusiastic that we should 

 go ahead, some were strongly opposed while others were to be convinced later. At 

 the same time options in London continued to be investigated unsuccessfully. 



We decided to find out more about what the country park had to offer and a 

 meeting took place there on 9th March 1990 when Frances, Stephen Miles and I met 

 Val Workman and Rod Calder of Wokingham Leisure Services, who confirmed that 

 our taking up residence was a real possibility. 



We first needed to know the likely cost of the building and it was agreed that 

 an architect should be approached to carry out a feasibility study. Bob Rigby of 

 James Smith Associates in Maidenhead had been recommended by the local authority. 

 Stephen and I met him on 30th March to brief him on the Society's requirements 

 and work out a preliminary design. 



The feasibility study was produced by May 1990 but our immediate reaction was 

 that the cost was 20 per cent higher than the treasurer had suggested we could afford. 

 However, the plans drawn up had been influenced by discussions between the 



