Woods Ware China at the Serving Hatch

In 1962, a 53 year old lady that we shall refer to as Miss S was sentenced to 21 months in prison at Somerset Quarter Sessions. The charges were fraud, false pretences and forgery and Miss S also asked for 17 other offences to be taken into consideration. It emerged that she had also “done time” previously. The extraordinary thing that has relevance to this blog is that Miss S was secretary of Montacute Village Hall – as well as being President of the village WI and parish councillor. Even more fascinating is that Miss S didn’t commit these crimes for personal gain – not of a financial nature anyway. It seems to me that she just wanted to be popular. The Google car couldn't get up to Montacute Village Hall because of another car blocking the road. So here's the sign for it.   Miss S had invented a benefactress. At first, she declared the Lady Bountiful to be anonymous – but then she decided that she could in fact be named as a Miss McBain , who had an estate n...

Ah, the parish hall jumble sale. I think that these are becoming much less common nowadays, with the proliferation of charity shops. Now, we just dump our unwanted items in a black sack and drop them off the next day at the most convenient charity outlet. Before the High Street second hand boom, we were subject to periodic pleas from the local church or WI for our unwanted items and we had a deliberate sort out. Donations could be depended upon because we were much less ready to throw things out on a whim. Mind you, a lot of what came in for the jumble sale was bought last time around, never used and sent back. The sales could get rowdy because this was a great opportunity to pick up that very thing that you had been coveting from your neighbour for the past 12 months. You might have seen that coat or hat boxed up and ready to go, or perhaps they might have told you that they had decided to donate it…perhaps you were one of the lucky ones with access to the hall and had seen the ...

Claygate Kerfuffles In December 1957, Claygate Village Hall Association in Surrey sued Helicopter Services Ltd of Piccadilly for breach of contract. It all started at the Claygate summer fete. In something of a celebrity coup (probably thought up to outdo the neighbouring villages) television personality Jon Pertwee and his wife were due to arrive by helicopter. Now that would be good for business. I daresay there wouldn’t be a pot of jam left on any of the stalls after that. Anyway, it didn’t quite happen as it should. Mr and Mrs Pertwee actually arrived by car with an escort of motor scooters. As the judge himself pointed out: “Not nearly so exciting.” The defendants argued that there was no contract, only a letter. But the judge decided that this was a breach of contract, but in unfortunate legal wording he “granted a stay of execution for 14 days pending notice of appeal.” Have a look at my book of stories inspired by Joyce Grenfell And click her...

How to Celebrate a Harvest In November 1956, The Times newspaper reported on a Harvest Supper at an anonymous village hall in the English countryside. To the accompaniment of a cold pie, the villagers decided to mark the community occasion with a song.   A young farmer got things off to a fine start with an old marching song, and all feet were stamped in appreciation. Then the pub landlady reluctantly followed this up (she had to be pressed to oblige) with a rendition of ‘Roses of Picardy.’ The sing song was rather more earnestly finished off by an old groom who “needed no pressing at all to warble a comic song about a young lady on the beach, which grew so perilously close to the knuckle round about the tenth verse that it was decided unanimously to clap hard and talk loud.”   Spoil sports. Still, the old groom was plied with drink to keep him quiet from that point on. A highly successful evening for the old fellow then. Instagram: @woodswarechinaser...

Press Release The organist at St Ann’s Parish Church Sprightly seventy year old Mrs Birch Has declared her intention to arrange A jumble sale at the village hall, Grange. Mrs Birch, who resides on Naylor Street Is tired of the rain gathering at her feet As she plays the organ in old St Ann’s By the noticeboard where they post the banns. A hole in the roof in need of repair Is the cause of the old lady’s despair If it rains while she plays those Sunday hymns Drips run down her neck and her ardour dims. The cash that is needed to patch that hole Can’t be found – vicar blames the price of coal Hence the need for massive sales of jumble To effect a halt to St Ann’s crumble. Mrs Birch is asking for donations Do tell your neighbours, friends and relations To leave all jumble by the vestry door Then attend the sale and purchase plenty more.                 ...

When the Luftwaffe Dropped In… Village halls can have their darker side. A train crash in Devon turned one hall into a temporary mortuary. An inquest into a potential murder case was once held at a village hall in Northumberland. In the 1940s, deaths were liable to occur within the halls themselves… In September 1940, Dorothy May White was working as a V.A.D. (Voluntary Aid Detachment) Nurse in Colgate, Sussex. Her actions during an air raid earned her the George Medal – this extract from The Times explains what happened: V.A.D. White, with two other V.A.D.s, was on duty at the village hall when a high explosive bomb was dropped on the cottage next door, demolishing it. The three V.A.D.s found the nurse in the crater badly injured and with great difficulty they lifted her onto a stretcher and carried her to the village hall. A bomb then fell directly onto the village hall, demolishing the end where the injured nurse lay, killing her, fatally injuring one of the V.A.D.s ...

The Times, May 1956 News in brief: "In an effort to raise £3,000 for a village hall, residents of Necton, Norfolk, are growing sugar beet on 10 acres of land lent by a farmer. An appeal for voluntary labour was sent to every household and met with a good response.   It is estimated that three hours’ work will be required of each person when 200 people, or about half the population of the village, have volunteered." The only images I can find of a village hall in Necton are of a modern kind...perhaps it never came about, or perhaps they put up a prefab which has since been replaced. Instagram: @woodswarechinaservinghatch

Branch Libraries, Billiards and Ablutions In 1930 the National Council of Social Service published a handbook for “Village Halls and Social Centres in the Countryside.” This set out lots of good advice on working out what your village needs from a hall and how to set about obtaining it. Section 4 gives a series of recommendations on the facilities needed for each size of village. Those communities with a population of under 300 for example only need a clubhouse – one room with a partition, a lavatory and a kitchen. Those villages with a population of 750-1500 need a large village hall with the following accommodation: ·         Main hall with fixed stage ·         2 committee/dressing rooms ·         Club room/branch library ·         Club room for young people ·         Canteen ·   ...