A PARTY was held at Webheath Village Hall on Saturday to celebrate the venue’s centenary.
The guest of honour on the day was Cis Palmer who has lived in Webheath for 79 years and celebrates her own 100th birthday today (Saturday, July 4).
Her two daughters went to hall when it was a school and she now has an extended family of grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Also at Saturday’s event was a detailed display of the history of Webheath over the last 100 years, a cake competition, flower competition, tombola, food stall, bar, children’s entertainer, balloon modelling and activity table.
And there was a vintage tractor, vintage cars, games, stalls, police car, First Responders car and a 1980s coach.
All had been made possible thanks to volunteers.
The history of the hall
Webheath Village Hall was built in 1926 on land donated by Victor Woodfield for a parish hall.
The entrance was originally through a corridor at the front of the hall, with kitchen and toilets leading to a large hall and stage.
There was a bowling green on a lower level at the back which has since been built up for the car park.
During the Second World War, an air raid shelter was built on the left of the hall and in the 1950s, the hall was used as the village primary school before Webheath First School was built. The hall was divided with a curtain to make two classrooms.
Toilets and a store room were added onto the side and these are still used as storage space.
In the 1980s an annexe was built. Today, that is the small hall and a toilet and sink have been added. Access was via the stage.
In the early 1990s a new entrance and toilets were built on the side of the hall and the old toilets were demolished.
The clock on the gable end was donated to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee.
Over more recent years, apart from general maintenance and decoration, a number of improvements have been made. These have included tarmaccing the car park, replacing the floors and ceilings, windows, toilets and heaters.
Today, Webheath Village Hall is a registered charity, self-funded and run by a group of trustees and volunteers for the community and groups for leisure classes, clubs and hobbies, covering a wide age range for young to old.
The large hall hosts a variety of events, including Jujitsu, dancing, exercise, music and a choir.
