History
Our hall has stood the test of time for over 100 years! Described in the archives as ‘a well-designed building built on common land’ the Hall was built close to the war memorial in 1922 by the Rt. Hon. Algernon Borthwick of Woodcote Manor. Despite failing to verify the right to erect the building, Borthwick gifted the building as a British Legion Hall in memory of his late son who had been killed. Where questions were raised of the propriety of anyone building a Hall on parish land for a particular purpose, it was a condition of the acceptance of the gift that the Hall should be under the control of the Parish Council. By the time the origins of the Hall were investigated, the building had existed for so many years that its legality could no longer be called into question and so it came under the control and management of the Parish Council at the time, South Stoke-cum-Woodcote.
During its early years, the Hall was run as a Men’s Club, as well as being used as a school for evacuees during the Second World War. It wasn’t until around 1952 when the buildings limited use began to impose restrictions on use by other clubs e.g. the WI and Badminton that the Parish Council extended the north-western end of the building (overlooking the cross- roads). This enabled the Men’s Club to be housed in the new part of the building (now known as the Function Room), leaving the original Hall available for use by clubs and individuals. Sadly, during the early to mid 90s the Men’s Club ran into financial difficulties and the Hall’s Management Committee were forced to seek new tenants for this part of the building, therein lies a story for another day.
During the 1960s use of the Hall continued to expand with the likes of WADS, play groups and exercise classes joining the existing long-time users e.g. the cricket and football clubs. In 1962 the basic legal principle was established that the Parish Council holds the Village Hall as Custodian Trustee on behalf of the Registered Charity and Management Trustees (the Village Hall Management Committee). Expansion continued into the 1970s when the demands of groups making regular use of the Hall meant that the Management Committee had to look at ways of enlarging the hall further. Major fundraising took place throughout the village and in 1972 the Parish Council sold shares and a portion of allotment land to BT, raising a total of £5,000 towards the pavilion extension.
A report prepared by the late Joy Aldridge in 1998 details the activities of the Management Committee who, in the 1970s “found they had to organise auction sales, jumble sales, bingo sessions etc to raise the funds necessary for the Hall’s upkeep – and still found they had to undertake the repairs and maintenance themselves”. This meant a large amount of effort by a few people and so by the 1980’s the Parish Council had agreed an annual amount to help with the upkeep of the Hall.
Throughout the 80s and 90s the Management Trustee’s met monthly and found their responsibilities increasing due to new legislation regarding environmental health, fire and safety regulations. In fact, over £100,000 was spent during the 90s on routine maintenance and major improvements. Joy noted that maintaining the Hall to such a high standard meant almost doubling the number of regular users and that it had been described as one of the finest and best kept in South Oxfordshire!
Taking the time to reflect on the history of the Hall, reminds us that the challenges we face are only too familiar and our objectives remain unchanged; we must protect, keep in good repair, adapt and update the Hall to meet the changing needs of today, and to ensure the sustainability of the building for the next 100 years. This also reminds us that we act purely as temporary custodians, simply holding the fort until the next generation are ready to take over.
More recently, the Parish Council has decided that the Village Hall Charity, not the Parish Council, should ‘own’ the Hall and for reasons that include limiting the liability of the Trustees, the Trustees have decided that the Charity become a CIO (a Charitable Incorporated Organisation). This conversion is currently underway and will help to pave the way for the next generation of Village Hall custodians. So, if you think you might like a hand in helping to shape the history of the Hall, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!