Old Village Hall (1891 to 1999)

In 1890, Reverend Pereira launched a fund raising appeal to build a Reading Room for the men and boys of the village so they could read and play games after a hard day’s work. The Durnford family donated a plot of land on Village Street for the project. The building was opened in 1891 and named the “Chilbolton Club House”. It was used for other meetings in the daytime. In 1931 when the old school closed, the Men’s Club transferred to the redundant school building. The Club House continued to be used by the people of the village. In 1962, the Management Committee of Chilbolton Club House, or Reading Room, applied for a grant to improve the premises. In order to benefit from the grant it was necessary to rename the building under a Deed of Trust as, “Chilbolton Village Hall,” which best described its purpose. The Hall eventually became too small for the growing community and a new Village Hall was built on Drove Road in 1999. In order to raise funds for the project, the old Village Hall was sold as building land and demolished in June 1999.