Our Hall
Our Hall was officially opened on Saturday 4th December 2010 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, with a surprise guest appearance by Jodie Prenger. It was rededicated as a war memorial hall on Armistice Day in November. The new hall was handed over to the trustees in October 2010 by our builders F J Reeves & Sons of Sparkford who have built a superb hall in local Forest Marble stone with natural wood detailing and a slate roof. Like its predecessor, the hall was built in memory of those from the village who had given their lives in the Service of their country in the two world wars and subsequent conflicts. A memorial stone has been incorporated into the fabric of the building. The Portland stone memorial, was carved locally by Karl Friedrich of Bruton Stonemasons,
The new building has a hall, a business meeting room, larger kitchen and proper cloakrooms. The new meeting room offers a convenient venue for the many small businesses and people who work from home in the village and further afield. The building has been thoughtfully laid out so that the meeting room and hall combine to form an excellent venue for community events, family parties and weddings alike. With an overhanging roof supported by oak beams and posts from the nearby Stavordale estate, and a large patio area the wonderful views to King Alfred’s tower can be fully appreciated. A large catering style kitchen and disabled facilities meet all the requirements of a modern public building. Newly landscaped outdoor space offers room for the community summer fair and a safe area for children to play. The heating is efficiently provided by air source heat pumps and controls throughout the building which minimize electricity consumption.
The community worked fantastically hard to raise a staggering £100,000 over three years through donations and fundraising events. These varied from an auction of promises, clay pigeon shoots, private garden opening events, a gourmet supper, plant sales, a jazz event, suppers, farm visits and walks, a tennis tournament, screenbites, skittles and of course many raffles. We are most grateful to all our grant funders. Awards of between £ 85,000 – £60,000 came from Viridor Environmental Credits, Somerset County Council and South Somerset District Council Capital Fund and The Mackintosh Foundation. Further grants of under £10,000 came from Awards for All, The Garfield Weston Foundation, Charlton Musgrove Parish Council, Somerset Community Foundation, South Somerset District Council and the Hall and Woodhouse Community Chest all totalling a magnificent £250,000. Please see the Grant Funders page on our website for further details of these bodies wonderful support.
The new hall is a wonderful facility for the village and local area and it is hoped that the community will make full use of the excellent building. If you would like to hire Our Hall then please check the calendar for availability and you can find the booking details on the website.
The Future: We are looking forward to new activities as well as welcoming back our old users, including The Parish Council, Tuesday Painters and Somerset Beekeepers.
