Skip to main content

They Live in Hope


I recently had the pleasure of running an event at Hathersage Memorial Hall, positioned in the Hope Valley, Derbyshire. It rained continuously and I had forgotten to bring that item of clothing deemed essential wear for the Hope Valley – the cagoule – so I didn’t do an external photo. Thank Google for this one.



It’s rather lovely, despite the pay and display in front and the railway line behind with its intermittent hooting. And it’s just as nice inside – old radiators, wooden floors, intriguing blocked up door frames and this stage complete with painted on curtain swags.  

In 1934, Sheffield Independent newspaper described a performance of ‘The Ghost Train’ by Hathersage Community Players – possibly on this very stage.  They were commended for their depiction of a passing train which involved “ingenious lighting effects, two gramophones, loud speakers and many other gadgets.” Apparently it was all very splendid and elicited roars of laughter. Sounds idyllic.

But the Memorial Hall itself was not in an ideal situation at that point in time. It had first opened in 1929, with locals paying £650 for purchase and refurbishment. Two years before the rip-roaring stage production described above, the Derbyshire Times newspaper had reported a worrying little snippet:

“Heavy rain on Saturday prevented many from attending the dance at Hathersage Memorial Hall consequently this event which was organised towards clearing off the debt on the building fund resulted in a financial loss.”

Oh dear. It must have been raining hard to keep even seasoned Hathersagonians at home…or was it something else that kept them away? Was this just the official line? Was there some sort of feud going on? An intriguing thought.

Happily, the Sheffield Independent printed this very brief report in 1936:

“Hathersage Memorial Hall is now free from debt, it was stated at the annual meeting last night. Mr P Wardrobe presided.”

This is worth reading merely to discover the existence of a man blessed with a name bearing such comic potential. But I am genuinely glad it’s still there to shelter the community activities of a damp Hope Valley.

                     

Top up my running away fund by downloading one of my books!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Woods Ware China at the Serving Hatch - The Book!

I have now put together a book to accompany this blog, featuring all the best bits and much more besides, about the development and use of village halls over the past century.  It costs £1.29 for a Kindle download and £3.99 for a printed version.  Here's the blurb: "Enter any village hall and look at the noticeboard. The range of activities taking place these days is enough to keep anyone entertained. Cinema evenings, keep fit classes, scouts, Women’s Institute, St John’s Ambulance, lunch clubs, support groups - all keeping the physical and spiritual on the straight and narrow. Where would we be without the village hall? What a marvellous innovation, and one that seems to grow in importance as we realise that we have lost sight of community somewhat, and need to nurse it back to life. You might, if you were in a particularly philosophical mood while hanging around the vestibule, wonder where and how it all began." English village halls have been a fixture of our lands...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Ode to the Village Hall

I hope that some of my own poems that I have published on this blog have raised a smile of recognition. But I’m not the first to write poetry inspired by village halls. Back in 1936, the Warwick Advertiser published an article about a Mr Smith, who had written a poem about the village hall at Hatton. This was so well received by friends and family, that he had 401 copies printed, and he sold them for a pound apiece. The profits were divided between the church fund and the working men’s club fund. Hatton Village Hall - the charming inspiration Happily for us, the Warwick Advertiser saw fit to publish Mr Smith’s acrostic: T his grand village hall which can scare be surpassed H as been built by one to remember those passed E ver thoughtful of others, kind friend of us all V ery ready to help and obey duty’s call I n summer or winter, in sunshine or rain L ending a hand without seeking to gain L ooking after the sick and helping the weak A nd a kind cheery s...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bogarde's Beginnings

Village halls played a part in the early careers of many actors – some of them becoming world renowned. Who knows just how many household names first got a taste for the luvvie life at the local amateur dramatic society. Dirk Bogarde was certainly one of them, because he wrote about his experiences at Newick Village Hall, near Lewes. Dirk’s mother made the acquaintance of a Mrs Cox, whose husband was said to own the village hall. Dirk became good friends with the Coxs’ daughter and the family took to him, allowing him to indulge his teenage ambition of becoming a playwright. He wrote, and starred in “The Man on the Bench”, supported by Nerine Cox.   It was performed around the time that Nazi Germany had marched into Austria – but a sparse audience with a lot on their minds nevertheless received it well. Mr Cox offered Dirk his first leading role shortly afterwards with the Newick Amateur Drama Society – Raleigh in R.C. Sherriff’s “Journey’s End”. “It was a tremendous ...
Post a Comment
Read more