History of the Village Hall
The Kingston on Soar Village Hall was founded in 1934 and built in 1935. From the outset it was very effective in fostering community spirit.
The Village Hall was built on ‘Hall’s Orchard’ - an enclosure with Apple and Pear trees and a pigsty, belonging to the Hall family.
The primary cost of the Village Hall was met by Lord Belper but a Building Fund was started to pay off the debt of £450. Parishioners paid 1/- for a brick, while Lady Belper and and Women’s Institute raised money through whist drives and sales of work.
The coronation of George VI in 1937 was commemorated with an extension to the rear of the Village Hall, and named the "Coronation Room".
The Village Hall has long been at the centre of village life, but by 1960 the number of events in the village hall had reduced, no longer playing host to the Women’s Institute, the Village Dramatic Society, nor many of the other clubs and societies.
In 2018 steps were taken to increase the number of events and community spirit within the village, starting with the Beer Festival - the success of which kick-started improvement works to renovate the Village Hall, some of which are ongoing.... see below.
Recent Improvements
Following the success of the Beer Festival in 2018, a programme of renovations were started in 2019 with the aim of equipping the Village Hall to better cater for modern tastes and to better suit the needs of our rural village.
The renovations were broken into several phases:
Phase 1: Opening up the Coronation Room and fitting a modern open plan kitchen, with refreshed seating area. We have also installed a brand new Village Bar.
What's Next?
Phase 2: We are now planning to renovate the existing toilets and introduce a disabled access toilet and baby changing facilities. Our fundraising efforts continue as we seek to raise the remaining funds required for these improvements.
THANK-YOU!!!
The Village Hall committee is phenomenally grateful to the following:
- Rushcliffe Borough Council for funds towards the renovation of the kitchen and the building work to open up the kitchen and Coronation Room.
- Rushcliffe Borough Councillor Community Support Scheme for funds towards the new oven and fridge freezer.
- East Midlands Airport for funding to equip the Kitchen to become a community cafe and to equip the Coronation Room as a community hub with children’s activity wall panel and shelving for toys and games.
- Nottinghamshire County Council for funding towards renovation of the toilets.
- We are also indebted to those who have donated toys, games and books to make the village hall warm and welcoming to children and families.
And not forgetting the villagers who have supported our efforts with painting, decorating and diy and helped to finish phase 1 of the renovations - Thank You!
