The Folk Hall is a thriving community venue in the village of New Earswick, York. Opened by Joseph Rowntree in 1907, the Folk Hall, which is a Grade II listed building, was given as a gift to the people of the village as “a place for meeting”.
Under the care of JRHT, the building is fully accessible and wonderfully light, with bright spaces for everyone to enjoy, from cosy corners for casual catch-ups to hiring the perfect place for professional meetings and events.
The Folk Hall has an impressive range of services, with a Post Office, New Earswick Library and a fantastic café on the ground floor. Many elements of the beautiful, historic building have been refurbished and refreshed, with spaces opened up to create a light and spacious interior while respecting its Arts and Crafts design features.
The beamed ceiling in the large hall, now called Orchard Hall, has been uncovered, making the room much more light and open. Just down from the Orchard Hall is the Discovery Room, a community space for people in New Earswick.
Upstairs you’ll discover a number of meeting rooms that you can book, a computer room and a quieter space for reading and relaxation. There are a number of break-out spaces across the mezzanine floor that can be booked for larger gatherings or used by the general public.
Fully accessible
We are a fully accessible venue, with a platform lift providing access to the upper rooms, Changing Places facilities, and ramps at all the entrances. We have hearing loops available for all the spaces within the building, and our café has a range of accessible menus.
We have a host of regular and one-off events running at the Folk Hall for our local and wider community to enjoy, from art and exercise classes to comedy and film nights. The Folk Hall also makes a unique venue to hire for your big event, show or conference.
Explore the pages below and see what this special venue has to offer.
What’s on
We have a host of regular and one off events running at the Folk Hall for our local and wider community to join in. Throughout the year we also host a range of big community and one off special events, more details of which you can find here.
News
We post regular blogs with the latest news, interest stories and updates for the Folk Hall and you can also find our different social media channels for you to follow. All of this will help you know what’s going on!
Café and catering
The Folk Hall’s fabulous café is currently open 9am-3pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 1.30pm on Saturday. Pop in for a delicious coffee and a freshly baked scone, or stay a little longer and choose from our broad menu of fresh, local dishes including cooked breakfasts, light lunches and afternoon snacks (vegetarian and gluten free options always on offer).
Room hire
Book one of our well-equipped rooms, with capacities from 2 to 150 people and a range of options to meet your needs. It might be a 1-to-1 teaching space, a professional boardroom, a dance hall with stage and bar… we can cater for almost any type of meeting or event. Get in touch to hire a room for your private function, corporate meeting, training session, wedding, party or community activity.
Post Office
New Earswick Post Office can be found in the main foyer area (currently open 9am-5pm Monday-Friday and 9am-1.30pm Saturday). It offers a range of services including cash deposits and withdrawals, international postage, travel money cards and more. Photocopying facilities are available at reception and in the library.
Library
New Earswick Explore Library can be found within the Folk Hall with a wonderful selection of books, public access computers and self-service machines spread throughout. Further information and opening hours can be found at Explore’s website and self-service issue and return is available in the main reception of the Folk Hall during general opening hours.