Weston-sub-Edge village hall came into being in 1930, although the building which formed the original hall dates back to the 17th century, when it was a coach house to the adjacent property now called ‘Latimers’.
It is not known when the coach house and surrounding land was sold off, but by 1903 it was owned by a local family living in Saintbury, with the coach house then being used to house cattle. Thereafter it changed hands several times before being purchased in 1925 by Miss Katherine McCullloch, who lived in the Manor House in Weston. On 24th April 1930, a public meeting was held in the school to consider the generous offer from Miss McCulloch to donate ‘..a rick-yard with barn, cattle stalls and other farm buildings thereon and the orchard containing in the whole one acre and twenty-five perches or thereabouts,’ for use as a village hall. Converting what were essentially basic farm buildings would not have been a straightforward task, however Miss McCulloch came prepared with Architects drawings, and her gift was gratefully accepted.
Established as a registered Charity under the terms of a Trust Deed dated 29th December 1930, development and management of the Hall was put in the hands of a Council of dedicated villagers, who set about raising the necessary funds. It is apparent that good progress was made on the upgrading work, as at the Council meeting in April 1931, the employment of a caretaker was recorded to cope with the regular use of the Hall. Thereafter a stage was constructed at the far end of the hall (where the bar is now located) and by the time ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’ was performed in 1937, there is also reference to curtains and stage lighting.
Tragically, Miss McCullock did not live to see this production as she passed away on 19th December 1936.
The start of 1939 saw the ‘Hall of Friendship’ in regular use by the various village organisations. The declaration of War on 3rd September 1939 had minimal initial impact on the Hall, other than the erection of a notice advising, ‘All who enter the Hall are requested to bring their gas masks’. However, everything changed on 25th October 1939, when the Hall and associated buildings were requisitioned by the Military for use as a canteen and recreation room. Use of the Hall by the village ceased but the Council continued to keep an eye on the building, with concern soon expressed about the condition of the floor. On the plus side, the military sought approval to carry out some extensions to an outbuilding, a decision apparently associated with the plan to use the Guide Room as a canteen run by the YMCA. At the Council meeting in the Rectory on 21st November 1941 much indignation was recorded at the loss of some curtains and the hall piano, which had been ‘borrowed’ and moved to the nearby aerodrome, ‘RAF Honeybourne’.
After the end of the War it took some time for the Hall and outbuildings to be fully derequisitioned and it wasn’t until May 1946 that they were handed back to the village. A ‘very satisfactory’ sum was negotiated with the Army Claims Officer as compensation for the damage and wear and tear since 1939. In addition, the piano and curtains were recovered from the airfield, although the curtains required cleaning and £16 had to be spent on repairing and re-tuning the piano!
The following years saw the Hall in regular use, but by 1965 the condition of the main stone built hall had become urgent. Following protracted debate, it was eventually agreed to sell a parcel of land fronting the Evesham Road for the construction of two houses. This produced a net return of £1,816 but still just a fraction of the potential cost of a new building.
Using the funds then secured, Messrs Pyments, Builders from Chipping Campden, were engaged to deal with the sagging roof and bulging stone walls to the Hall, whilst further design work and fund raising took place. However by the time a scheme had been settled upon and the necessary approvals secured, the grants previously offered by the Local Authority and Department of Education and Science had been reduced as a result of financial pressure – nothing new there.
Nevertheless, J Sutton, builders from Badsey started work on 10 May 1969. Somehow the village managed to raise a total of approximately £12,000 for the new extension and adaptations to the old hall. The opening ceremony took place on Saturday 21st March 1970.
Following the opening of the Hall extension, there was some debate about what to do with the old stone building. On 20 April 1970 it was finally agreed it could be taken over by the newly formed Friendship Club, who promptly set about refurbishing the building, including removing the former stage and replacing it with a bar. However there remained the problem of toilets which were now located at the far end of the New Hall.
To resolve this and to further enhance the facilities, the Friendship Club funded the installation of a first floor in the old building to provide a games room and additional toilets. Work started on 12th July 1981 and one of the first operations was to excavate the foundations for the stanchions supporting the mid-span of the new floor. A length of lead piping, ten inches long and two and a half inches in diameter, was dug out from the pit for the central post, and initially just thrown on the spoil heap in the car park. It was only when the pipe was picked up the next day for removal that it was found to be sealed at both ends with something inside that rattled. When one end was forced open, out tumbled 307 silver and 2 gold coins, the date of the latest coin being 1642, the year that saw the start of the Civil War. With the coins was a faded piece of parchment which declared, ‘Ye hoard is £18’, a considerable sum when buried.
The Coroner’s Inquest ruled the hoard to be ‘treasure trove’, with the finder (the builder) therefore entitled to the sale valuation of £5,926. Weston Parish, being the owner of the land and buildings, was awarded the lead container and piece of parchment. These were donated to the Corinium Museum in Cirencester who also bought the coins, where they are all on permanent display.
The new Hall extension incorporated showers for the village football club, but after a few years the club unfortunately disbanded. When relevant legislation came into force, the redundant showers were removed and a disabled toilet installed in their place, together with a Hall Clerks office and store. These last two areas have been the subject of further alterations with the construction of a ‘butlers pantry’ providing kitchen facilities for external hirers.
The insulation level of the hall has been improved with double glazed windows, together with a false ceiling between the exposed timber clad roof trusses, and solar panels have been installed on the flat roof to further reduce the energy consumption of the hall. An overhead projector allows films to be shown at the monthly Rural Cinema.
The latest development in the history of the hall has been the recent demise of Weston Bowls Club. Established during the 1980’s they converted the orchard into a County standard rink and for many years went from strength to strength. However membership gradually fell and faced with ever increasing costs for maintaining the rinks in pristine condition, the Club disbanded in 2020. The grassed area is now used for a walking football pitch, and as a camping site for motor homes and tents, with the former clubhouse providing toilet facilities.
Last, and by no means least,, has been the establishment of the Village Bar, which took over when the Friendship Club closed. Providing drinks and meal on Thursdays, to Sundays, it has become a major facility in the village.