Wingates Village Institute was built in 1915 by J.H. Straker of the Straker family, who was at that time the main local estate holder, to commemorate the 21st birthday of his daughter, Edith Helen Straker. After the Straker estate was broken up in 1959, the Village Institute was gifted to the Wingates community. It was run for many years by the Wingates Village Institute. It is now registered as a charity (Charity Number 1088963) and run by a management committee of locally elected Trustees.
The traditional stone and slate building has been recently insulated and refurbished. It consists of an attractively decorated main hall, with a small kitchen, store-room and two WCs, one of which is wheelchair accessible. The building is surrounded on three sides by a small garden and the wheelchair accessible path around the building leads to a secluded patio with lovely countryside views.