The Clock Room
The room at the West end was originally called the Committee Room. It was renamed the Clock Room when the outside clock was erected in December 1897 (in memory of Thomas Read, who was described in his obituary as 'the most remarkable man in Berkhamsted').
The screen between the Clock Room and the Institute Room could be parted but, since the opening was only eight feet wide, the use of both rooms for a single meeting was difficult. The screen's distinctive pattern can be recognised in a number of photographs still inside the building - for example, the photograph of a contingent of Berkhamsted soldiers about to depart for the Boer War.
When the rooms were restored in 1999 (funded by a substantial grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and a public appeal), it was decided not to replace the screen and to name the whole room the Clock room. The screen, which was badly damaged, was given to the Scouts in Gossoms End.
In 1886 the Clock Room was leased to the Superintendent Registrar as an office and used for the solemnisation of civil marriages. The lease was renewed in 1997 and in 2000 permission was obtained to use the Clock Room once again for civil marriages.