Downley War Memorial Hall

Hall for Hire from £6.50 per hour (Main Hall), contact Pamela Brooks 01494 436161

Laying the Foundation Stone

The Downley War Memorial Hall was built in 1923, with monies raised by public donation within the village of Downley in memory of the 22 men who died in the Great War of 1914-1918. The land for the building was donated by Sir John Dashwood.  It is a sloping site and this resulted in the lower and upper floors being built. The upper area consisted of the main hall with a stage and a room that served as a committee room and changing area with access to the stage.   A staircase leads to the lower floor which comprised a kitchen, club room and a large storage area under the main hall floor.

The services at that time comprised two bucket type toilets, water came from a cistern fed from the roof drainage. Heating was via a number of ‘Tortoise’ type solid fuel stoves and lighting was via pressurized paraffin lamps.  Water, drainage and lighting were all upgraded as the mains services were brought into the village.

The management of the hall was by a committee of Trustees.  In the 1960’s the hall was registered as a charity.
 

Following the 1939-1945 war the names of the 5 men who lost their lives during the war were added to the memorial tablet.

Inside the Hall

The Current Situation
Major work is now required to put the hall in a good state of repair. The Trustees have over the past few years installed central heating and some double glazing, but they desire to make the hall available to all members of the community.

Plans for the future
Some of the works needed is :-
• Refurbishment of the brickwork
• Disabled/Wheelchair ramp access to both ground and lower floors
• New roof and insulation
• New staircase
• New disabled toilets to the ground and lower floor

Then Trustees have attempted to secure grants from both the National Lottery and Biffa through a scheme linked to landfill taxes.  Unfortunately both were unsuccessful, but they are still trying.

Outside of the Hall