Eynsham Village Hall - Back Story

These notes are a summary of a full account by Fred Wright in the Eynsham Record no.19 (2002).

The present site in Back Lane, adjacent to the rear entrance of the Bartholomew School, was first mooted for a new community centre in 1946; but the former Library, Scout, Royal British Legion and Youth Club huts were placed on it instead.

In 1985 the Youth Club hut was condemned by a Government inspector and in 1986 trusteeship of the old Youth Club Charity was transferred from the County Council to the Parish Council.

In 1994 the Parish Council purchased from the County Council two end portions of the site, one containing the old Library, in order to further the plan.

Following the 1994-5 West Oxfordshire Local Plan Enquiry, the entire site (almost 0.5 acre) was designated for use as a Community Centre (i.e. Village Hall and new Scout ‘hut’').

Prolonged negotiations with the Charity Commissioners enabled the Parish Council to take over the old Youth Club land; and the Royal British Legion allowed the Parish Council to purchase the RBL land.

The Scouts felt that they could not fully surrender the freehold of their site but agreed to a land-swap instead. This was eventually finalised in summer 2000, just in time to allow the present hall to be built.

Public consultations

A village appraisal was carried out in 1992-3 and the report was published in 1994. This strongly recommended a new community centre or village hall. The Annual Parish Meeting of April 1994 approved the project in principle and identified the need to involve the Scouts.

At the Annual Parish Meeting of April 1995, it was agreed to seek a grant from the Millennium Commission. Plans were exhibited at the Carnival in July that year, showing three or four halls, depending on whether the Royal British Legion needed a separate one. This was not, in the event, required.

Further consultation continued with paragraphs in the Eynsham Echo. A questionnaire to all village organisations revealed that most wished to use the small hall in the daytime, and the main hall in the evenings.

Design and funding

About half the cost of the project was raised by the Parish Council, via sale of the former Catholic Apostolic Church, precept, donations and bank interest (not inconsiderable during the 1990s).

Three applications for Lottery grants, with a large hall to the rear of the site and two side wings, one for the scouts and one for a children's hall, were not entirely popular with the scouts and ultimately abandoned.

An alternative scheme was drawn up by Roy Wilkinson. following his appointment as architect in 1997. The early sketch below shows design restricted by a very tight site area (green) owned by the Parish Council and a very awkward site (blue) belonging to  the Scouts.

A land swap was agreed between the Parish Council and the Scouts, enabling each to have much better areas of land; and design went ahead on that basis.

In 1997 WODC announced its ‘Millennium Village Hall’ grants, originally for projects to be completed by 1 January 2000 but later extended for construction to have started by 31 December 2000. The Eynsham plan was awarded a grant of approximately £350,000 - the largest for any village in West Oxfordshire - and the first sod was cut by Parish Council Chairman Gordon Beach on 20 October 2000.

Open at last

The building started to be used in October 2001 and formal opening followed on Saturday 1 June 2002, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee weekend.

It was operated by a separate Management Committee on a 21-year lease from the Parish Council until June 2023.