New Village Hall

The Village Hall on Village Street, once Chilbolton Club House, was originally built as a Reading Room for the men and boys of the village to use after a hard day’s work. When the Men’s Club moved to the old school premises in 1931, the Club House continued to be used for community activities and it was managed by a Committee as a Village Hall. In 1962 the Hall was formally adopted as Chilbolton Village Hall under a Deed of Trust, in order to benefit from grants available only to community village halls. By the 1980’s the Committee realised the Hall was too small for the growing population. It lacked space for sporting activities and parking facilities were non-existent. The Management Committee began to look at the possibility of building a new Hall. The feelings and wishes of the community were ascertained by conducting market research, a plan of campaign for fund-raising was drawn up and the search for a suitable site was set in motion. Early in the 1990’s, the Painter family of the Manor offered to donate a plot of land on Drove Road. The Chairman of the Management Committee, Wing Commander Samuel Bugg (retired) applied to the Millennium Commission for grant funding. The Commission promised half the £410,000 needed, the rest to be raised through the Committee’s own efforts. After seven years of fundraising, acquiring smaller grants from local authorities and the sale of the old Hall, the proposed new Hall became a reality. The official opening ceremony was held on 24th September 1999. Mrs. Mary Fagan, Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion.