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Home - The Village Today - History - Maps - Memories - Newspapers - Picture Gallery - World Wars |
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West Hallam Village Hall The Village, West Hallam, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 6GR
Grade II Listed Building PARISH OF WEST HALLAM THE VILLAGE School, now village hall. Dated 1852 and built by the Scargill Trust. Red brick with blue brick diaper work and gritstone dressings. Plain and fishscale tile roofs. Stone coped gables. Diamond plan lateral brick stacks, one with external chimney breast. Two stacks in the pitch of the roof. Single storey. Flush stone quoins. Chamfered stone plinth. North elevation of three bays. Projecting gabled bay to right has a 2-light chamfered mullion window to the ground floor with cast iron diamond pane casements. Single light window above with chamfered surround and plain casement. To the left in the extruded angle, a square porch, with Tudor arched doorway with chamfered surround and panelled door. Stone plaque above and coped parapet. To the left, a 3-light and a 2-light recessed and chamfered, mullioned and transomed window, each in a gabled half dormer and with cast iron diamond casement lights. These two windows flank a projecting chimney breast with two set-offs on either flank. Low coped walls and railings attached to north.
(All following information is presented as originally printed) West Hallam Village Hall History (With sincere thanks to the Trustees of the Village Hall Charity) West Hallam Village Hall was built as one of a number of schools funded by income bequeathed by the Reverend John Scargill in 1662. As such it forms part of the lasting legacy of his philanthropy as well as the built heritage of the village. It remains in the ownership of the Scargill’s Educational Foundation. The building is a fine example of vernacular architecture and is a red brick Jacobean style building with decorative blue brick work and distinctive diamond leaded window panes with stone mullions. It is a Grade II listed building. It was built by the Foundation to offer education to girls. Construction started in 1852 and the school was open by 1858. A later extension enabled an infant’s class to be added. The building continued as an infant’s school until it finally closed in the early 1970s. The building was saved from threatened demolition in 1973 by local people. Since 1974 it has been operated as a community facility by the West Hallam Village Hall Charity which was established for this purpose. The hollow in which the Village Hall is built was once a stone quarry. The Village Hall garden was created from the adjacent land which has been the site of Lesley Toplis’ wheelwrights a builders and a coal yard.
Village Hall by George Futers With the vacating of the Infant Department Building the village was in danger of losing the only meeting place for many organisations. Information reached me that plans had already been made for its demolition, and replaced by 6 maisonettes. I managed to get the building listed as Grade II so the Scargill Trust were no longer obliged to sell it to the highest bidder. It was suggested that St Wilfrids should buy it as a church hall but they felt unable to do so. The Village Hall Charity was then set up to run it, much of the preliminary work being done by the late Madge Lee and Mr John Horton. The Parish Council gave encouragement and support and the first elected chairman was Mr Jim Farley who later became a non - stipendiary priest. At a public meeting chaired by Mr Jim Farley, a prominent resident of the village evidently aggrieved that plans for redevelopment of the Village Hall site had had been frustrated by its listing, blamed Dr Futers. A further spin-off from these discussions was the building of the Community Centre which it was thought would replace the Village Hall, but with the rapid increase of population there was a need for both. The Village Hall was officially re opened in 1974 by the May Queen who it just happened that year was my daughter Helen. This Article by the Late Norma Futers Appeared in the Parish Magazine "A public meeting to discuss a hall for the parish was held on Thursday 8 March, 1973, with the Rector in the chair. It was stated that the old Primary School Hall and the Junior School buildings would cease to be available for use when the Junior School moved into their new premises. This should be by January 1974 at the latest. There were a number of organisations in the village which would be without accommodation, and others which felt limited by the not entirely satisfactory premises from which they function. Most people present seemed to think that some sort of hall was needed. Some members of the Parish Council suggested that the Scargill Schools Foundation (who are the owners of the school premises) might be asked if they would consider selling the two sites and using the proceeds to put up a community centre on the recreation ground at Station Road site as this would be reasonably accessible from all parts of the parish and those other parishes whose interests this trust fund serves. If economic rents were charged the Parish Council thought that, with the help of a penny rate, they could maintain the new building. Several problems arising from this proposal were raised. First of all the Scargill Schools Foundation might not agree. Furthermore, what would happen to the various organisations in the most people appearing think it would be at least three years before a new building could be opened. The point was also made that if the rents were high many organisations would just not be able to pay them. In answer to the question of what would become of the old school sites, it was suggested that they could be bought for shops and housing and, that it was important to obtain the highest possible price. Some people expressed concern at the idea of shops in these positions. One suggestion about what to do while a hall was being built was that the old school hall should be rented from the Scargill Schools Foundation for use by the organisations needing accommodation, but this would entail some improvement in the existing facilities. Another suggestion was that the nave of the church, with some modification including new flooring and seating, could be used as a hall on weekdays, but this could not be achieved in time to bridge the gap from January 1974. From all the discussion it appeared that further research would have to be done, and so a committee, representing most of the interested organisations, was formed under the chairmanship of Mr John Horton, and their findings would be made known to a further public meeting. If any of the public had any facts, views or opinions on the subject they were invited to communicate with Mr Horton, The Spinney, West Hallam Village. Taken from WHM Magazine November 1984
Village Hall Garden John Toplis's wheelwright's yard, Lesley Brown's builders during 2nd World War and Ken Lomas' coal yard after the war. The garden as it is today was cleared with money from the Parish Council and a grant from Shell Trust. Joan Heathcote, Joan Harrison, Pat Gregory, Eva Weston and Peggy Mew where involved in setting up the garden and planting the shrubs purchased by the Village Hall committee. Barry Forster (builder) and 'his boys' from the Training Enterprise Scheme for 16-18 year olds (based at Stanton) built the walls, laid slabs also painting and pointing the Village Hall. The garden won a prize in the Beautiful Erewash competition in July 1994. The Borough Council, Wilcon Homes Fund and the redundant money from the West Hallam Garden Society were given this year for renovation and future maintenance of the garden. NB: The hollow in which the Village Hall sits was once a stone quarry.
For More Information, News, Events and Bookings Please Visit.. http://www.westhallamvillagehall.org.uk/
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