The Village Hall

In any village the main centre for activities is, most frequently, the Village Hall. With this in mind the Parish Council called all the residents together in 1981 to consider a new village hall project, its siting, uses, design and cost.

The proposal to develop land for housing in the immediate vicinity of the old hall provided the initiative to sell that site and thus provide starting capital towards a new hall, located elsewhere. The old hall, positioned opposite 42, Main Street, (Mr F Cross’s house), was built in the early 1920s and used as a school, then as a hall by the Conservative Association and was in 1959 gifted, by them, to the village for use as a village hall. By 1981 it was in a dilapidated state and needed considerable repair, so in December 1983 the decision was taken, with overwhelming support from village residents, to erect a new hall on the Playing Fields in Cowleaze Road.

The precise site was approved by the District Planning Committee in April 1984 and, after a comprehensive survey of all the likely users, a detailed design was submitted and grant applications made. Unfortunately, sufficient government funds were not at that time available so that our application was delayed and not finally approved until March 1986.

The awards then were a £65,000 grant from the County Council, £6,000 from the District Council, and £6,000 from Parish Council, all ‘for the benefit of the residents of the locality, without restriction’ This left some £40,000 to be raised in the village. A local builder, Mr C G Fry of Litton Cheney, was selected and final design details agreed by Mr J Griffin, Chairman of the Village Hall Committee, who acted as the building overseer throughout the whole construction programme.

Meanwhile a programme of fund raising events was arranged during 1984-5 by the Vice Chairman, Mr K J Salt, involving the whole village in a variety of ways, from selling manure, to craft shows, fun runs, fairs, shows and carnivals, of which some thirty events are now depicted in a collage, made by the WI, and covering a wall in the hall. The proceeds from the sale of the old hall were shared with the Conservative Association as the original donor, and £7,500 thereby included in the hall accounts by the then Treasurer, Mr Lush and the Secretary, Mrs Buxton.

A remarkable personal effort was attributed to Major Kenion, who challenged particular residents to make gifts to the village hall fund, which, from some thirty five donations, realised a total of £8,000. In May 1985, Mrs J Vassie opened the doors of Nordale Farm to the public for the day and through stalls and agricultural displays etc, made £1,000. A Grand Carnival, with seven days of continuous events, was opened in June 1985 by TV personality Sarah Kennedy, and included soccer competitions, athletics, dog shows, a procession of fifteen floats and four bands, and a dance each evening in a marquee on the village playing field, all of which added a further £2,000 to the rising fund. Various organisations generated their own events such that, by the time that the hall was formally opened in March 1987, the total cost had already been achieved.

Village Hall facillities