THE VILLAGE HALL

The New Hall 1965

By the beginning of the 1960’s the Jubilee Hall was dingy and dilapidated. It was condemned by the Rural District Council and demolished in August 1963. By 1965 a grant from the government and fund-raising efforts in the village had collected enough money to construct a new hall.  On Thursday August 12th 1965, it was declared open. Unfortunately, although a copy of the opening speech still exists there is no record of who gave it.  It has been suggested that it might have been Bill Makin’s sister or the local artist Marjorie Porter but neither name has been confirmed.

 THE OPENING OF THE NEW VILLAGE HALL

 THURSDAY AUGUST 12TH 1965

‘I hope you will forgive me for reading from the script I have written down being old I might forget, and wander from my subject.  First of all, I wish to thank the Village Hall Committee for their kind invitation to me, to come and declare this new hall open.  The known records of both the village of Kettlestone and the Recreation room are most interesting.  We found some remarkable information in a library describing happenings in this village from the time of the Domesday Book up to 1900.  This was mostly written round ancient charities and the church and the numerous incumbents to the living, which as in the fit of Kings and Queens of England for hundreds of years – and since 1926 has been in the gift of Keble College Oxford.  The church was restored in 1870/71. The old recreation room was originally the Rector’s barn and as the years went by it became dilapidated dark and dingy and RDC gave the village two years in which to save it from demolition.

This pretty, winding and secluded village has only 200 inhabitants and it is to their everlasting credit that they decided to work together for a new hall. In June 1961 they had only £29.9.10 in the kitty.  By the end of 1964 they had collected approximately £500.  Application was made to the public authority for a grant and this was agreed, and I understand that except for about £60 the hall is paid for. The Village Hall Committee and all their helpers are very much to be congratulated.  By your efforts you have opened a most important page in the future history of Kettlestone. 

This nice new Hall standing in its picturesque surroundings, will be a marvellous asset for all your village requirements and perhaps it will be the means of helping surrounding villages also.

With these remarks I have such pleasure in declaring this hall open.’

CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW VILLAGE HALL 1965

The hall was purchased as a pre-fabricated building from Geoff Allen Prefabs at Stoke Ferry near King’s Lynn.  The concrete foundations and erection of the building were completed by R.A. Bunting Builder from Stibbard.

The total cost was just over £1000 and a grant of £544 was received from the government.

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE 

During recent renovations a bottle was found tucked into one of the walls.  The message inside it read:-

This hall was built by R.A. Bunting in 1965

G.W. Ebbage aged 62

R. Betts  aged 36

STIBBARD

June 29th 1965