Do you know what that building is at the top of Waters Lane? Are you still one of the many who apologise for never having been inside it yet? Do you care about the social life of your own community – since ‘lockdown’ separated us all from each other? So read on …
Additional to its amazing history dating from the 8th century, Westbury on Trym village must be unique in the UK for its residents being the proud collective owners of a beautiful Village Hall. With an interior that mirrors a Medieval hall with high, soaring beams and lancet windows, it was designed in Victorian Gothic style by a Bristol architect for local benefactor Mr Henry St Vincent Ames of Cote House in the 19th century.
It was opened in 1869 as a ‘concert hall’, to great applause both locally and in the Bristol press of that time; Mr Ames wished it to become a cultural centre for concerts, exhibitions and the education of what was then a rural population in this small but historic Gloucestershire village. Indeed, he himself gave recitals on the centre stage organ (which was later sold to St Peter’s Church in Henleaze in the 20th century).
Surrounded by large estates and grand houses for those escaping the commerce and smells of Bristol, Westbury’s inhabitants at that time were farming folk and mainly the gardeners, laundresses, cooks and housemaids for their wealthier neighbours – together with a sprinkling of enterprising business families, led by the Mogfords and the Mealings. Mr Ames eventually left the hall to the people of Westbury in perpetuity – a unique bequest, loved and honoured by thousands of supporters since then, but where are they now?
The wartime generations had no money or time to lavish upon it, but nevertheless they kept it going for the forces stationed nearby and then later for children’s school dinners and gym classes– until, shabby and in despair by 1970, it was handed to new masters because its Ecclesiastical Trustees could not afford the upkeep anymore.
Saved from potential destruction and replacement with a block of flats, by the newly formed, embryonic Westbury on Trym Society, its first transformation began. A management committee was elected and volunteers pitched in – scraping, varnishing, nailing and painting (on high ladders that would never be allowed now!) They gave chairs, cookers, flooring, kitchen implements and their green-shield stamps to buy china, casseroles and cutlery. The floor, which had sprung holes at every event, was replaced using wooden blocks subscribed by individuals and families in return for their names being recorded thereon!
There followed an era of spectacular local fundraising from mainly young parents and their families, which included themed suppers and historically costumed balls, plays and pageants, while talks and exhibitions were organized by the Westbury Society. The first badminton club was formed and the Annual Flower Show started up in 1978. The Fielder club, Westbury’s branch of the TWG, a playgroup and regular ballet classes, all joined in with their own events and financial support. With the Fielder meetings’ room, plus a small first floor kitchenette, fitted out in the 80s, it became a thriving social centre once more – in fact just as Henry St Vincent Ames had envisaged!
By 2010 however, new management had arrived and a more commercial approach was adopted. By then the Hall’s reputation had spread far and wide, but its youthful parents and their children had moved on. It was fast becoming a popular venue for weddings and special parties, because, now graced with a large extension to the kitchen, it was able to provide professional catering facilities and adjacent rooms for bigger celebrations.
In time for the 150th anniversary of its founding in 2019, the toilets were modernised, including a new one for the disabled, a new bar was installed for more professional service at public hirings, while contemporary stained glass windows were designed to replace the plain glass lancets.
But now the hall is even older and its ‘limbs’ require further attention! A renovation process began last year with better floors in the committee room and onstage, much needed roof repairs to stop up leaks, new gutters and downpipes and replica window frames upstairs, plus a radical re-structuring of the kitchen extension. The Hall is a Grade II listed historic building, with permission required for all works done to it, so nothing is either cheap or speedy ! When more funding has been raised, its damp problems and heating system are on the cards, as well as repointing of its exterior stonework.
The Hall, to an extent, has become the victim of its own success, because what it lacks now is support and involvement from its present local community. The numbers of regular users and public hirers from way beyond Westbury must now be counted in 1000s, but the successive teams of volunteers who achieved all this would barely reach two hundred. While weddings and party hirings bring in much needed maintenance income, the cultural and entertainment side, once so prevalent among local people, is now almost entirely absent.
So how can you and its future Friends help it to continue life as an important part of Westbury’s history? How can we raise more funds to preserve its fabric – but just as importantly, restore some of the local community status and friendship that it once had, to run alongside its present greater use by people from way beyond Westbury? The Trustees are in urgent need of a treasurer, who can also give professional advice on loans, grants and investments and make an annual business plan. The Chairman of Trustees also manages the bar – he needs more volunteers for the bar service team – even if you can give just one Saturday evening a month, this would be a great help. There are other ways in which you can lend a hand and if you and friends have time to run a dance, concert, themed supper, or even a dramatic evening – the Trustees will be overjoyed. Don’t stand by: use it – or lose it!
You can contact us via the Hall website or post your letter into the Hall itself (at side door).
Hilary Long, Trustee, on behalf of the Management Committee