Woods Ware China at the Serving Hatch

In June 1951, B. Seebohm Rowntree and G. R. Lavers brought out a book called "English Life and Leisure". Subtitled a social study, it was the result of several years of research. It arose from Rowntree's assertion that British people had inadequate means of recreation. He wanted to carry out a survey as the starting point for improvement. The section on Village Halls and Women's Institutes reads as follows: There can be no doubt about the value of a village hall to a village, for in most villages a community spirit still endures even though cheap public transport and the attractions of town life may have weakened it. A village hall is needed for social activities, such as whist drives, dances, housing the travelling cinema, for games and perhaps for amateur dramatics; it is needed for meetings of the many committees in a village, such as those of the cricket club, darts club, thrift club, pig club, and perhaps that responsible for the playing field, if a properly ...

Village Hall room hire payments have often been a contentious issue, and rows have been recorded throughout the 20th Century. In February 1923, one such row erupted at Liphook Village Hall and the West Sussex Gazette recorded the subsequent Petersfield Petty Sessions trial.  Mr W, a hairdresser by trade and also Secretary of Liphook Village Hall, was in the dock. He was accused of assaulting a Mr P, who ran a variety company. It all began when Mr W charged Mr P 16s 6d for use of the hall, when Mr P thought that he should have been charged 12s 6d. Quite a difference. Mr P marched on the Village Hall Committee in "an excited and offensive manner" and complained bitterly about the way he had been treated. Mr W defended himself by saying that Mr P had neglected to pay anything at all on a previous occasion.  Personal insults were exchanged, and then Mr W finally fulfilled a promise to land Mr P one on the jaw. The Village Hall Chairman defended his Secretary's action by s...

This article is copied from The Illustrated Police News, 14 February 1935: Judge Thanked "Thank you very much, sir, I've got off very light." Remarked John Moore, 76, when sentenced by Mr Justice Hawke at Gloucester Assizes to six months imprisonment on charges of breaking into Whitminster Village Hall and stealing articles valued at 4 shillings and 6 pence. There was a term of 344 days remaining of a previous sentence, and Moore was told that he would have to serve that time.  P.S. (Police Sergeant) Howkins revealed that since 1904 Moore had been continually in and out of prison. Since that time he had been sentenced seven times to penal servitude, involving in all 23 years.  In addition, he was in 1927 sentenced to four years imprisonment and had served further sentences most of them in respect of house breaking. Moore's last sentence was three year's penal servitude.  Moore handed in a statement to the judge, beginning "I most respectfully wish t...