The Old Village Hall

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VILLAGE HALL

THE OLD VILLAGE HALL

Foundation Stone

The Memorial Institute continued under the control of the committee of management throughout the 1900's, until in
the late 1960's the building was in need of modernising. Money was not available even for essential repairs. In 1971,
Mr Christopher Pope started investigations into the building and found that grants could be made available if the building was in the ownership of a Hall Management Committee and not the Church. A democratic Hall committee was formed,
and on the 6 April 1972 this group purchased the hall from
the Salisbury Diocesan Board of Finance for £10.00.

The hall became part of a registered charity, when the Charity Commissioners approved the constitution. Under the Chairmanship of Mr Christopher Pope local fundraising was
vigorously pursued and grants sought for repairs. A Festival at Wrackleford House, the home of the Pope family, was held on 27th, 28 th & 29 th July 1973 with picnics, shows, formal meals and other exhibitions based on a Victorian theme.
The Hall, now repaired with a lowered ceiling to make
it warmer, continued to be used until the late 1990's.

In March 1987 a substantial part of the village was sold to developers. The first building prospectus mentioned a new village hall to accommodate the expected increase in population. By this time the fabric of the old hall was becoming dated and in need of further modernisation but hopes for a new hall were dashed when the developer removed plans for a new hall from the planning application. However in 1990, the developer requested greater density of housing and offered compensation to the village in the form of some amenities. Discussions between the Parish Council and the developer began, but a housing price collapse occurred at this time and development work stopped. Mr Christopher Pope resigned as chairman of the Hall Management Committee at this time having been some
twenty years in the post. He was succeeded by Mr Andy Aylott, who continued the drive for a new hall.

A new hall was opened in January 2001. The old hall was sold for conversion to a private dwelling. It is still there, having been sympathetically restored.

The Old Village Hall 2007

© Stratton Parish Council 2007