The Reader Cafe and Mansion House – site update

The Reader Café in the Calderstones Mansion House has now reopened with a new takeaway menu providing drinks and snacks.

The Reader Café, followed by The Reader Shop and Calder Stones exhibition are the first parts of The Mansion House to be reopened to the public following the latest government guidance.

The Reader Café’s new opening times will be: 8.30am until 2.30pm, Monday to Sunday. 

The Reader Shop and Calder Stones exhibition opens on Saturday 4 July from 12noon until 4pm, Saturday to Sunday. 

 For the health and wellbeing of customers and staff, we’ve made some important changes so that social distancing can be maintained at all times. 

At The Reader Café, we’re asking everyone to follow these steps so that we can all stay safe in the park together: 

• Follow the one-way queueing system from the ramp at the front of the Mansion House, to the service hatch to place your order. 
• Only join the queue with people from your family or household, if you’re in a large group please consider waiting at a safe distance. 
• When queuing, keep a safe distance (2 metres) from others by staying within the floor markings. 
• When placing your order be prepared to pay using contactless or card as we cannot currently accept cash. 
• After receiving a receipt, follow the one-way system to the Café courtyard area to pick up your order. 
• On collection, we ask that you use the hand sanitiser provided and exit through the courtyard as directed by the signs. 

In The Reader Shop, we’ll also be operating a one-way system to keep our staff and visitors safe: 

• Enter the via the main entrance to The Reader Shop (at the side of the Mansion House) 
• A staff member will greet you and ask you to use the hand sanitiser provided before entering. 
• We’ll only be allowing two households, or a maximum of 4 people, in the shop space at one time.  
• The one-way system then flows through our Calder Stones exhibition and into the courtyard, where you can view the Calder Stones, before heading back out into the park.   

For more details on the measures we’re taking to mitigate the risk of coronavirus in The Reader Café and The Reader Shop, you can read our risk assessments here - The Reader Cafe, The Reader Shop.

While we’re still not able to open the full Mansion House, including the toilets, we’re delighted to be able to take the first step to welcoming back the community again. Take care and we look forward to seeing you soon. 

The Reader Team