ITPAS Feature - Irby Village Hall

Irby Village Hall

In this article ITPAS tells a brief history of the Village Hall. Whilst the past is something to be proud of, let us not forget the hard work that is ongoing at this present time to retain this vital Amenity for local people...

Irby Village Hall lies well back from Thingwall Road, about one hundred yards on the Birkenhead side of the Village. The adjacent portion of land belongs to the Church of England authorities and was given to them by the donor of the ground for the Village Hall. Contrary to popular belief the management of the Hall has no control over this land whatsoever; all land controlled by the Hall is at the rear of the Hall and is presently leased to the 1st Thurstaston Scout Group.

The freehold site was a gift from Miss Lettice Valentine Lee Townshend for the sole purpose of building a Community Centre for the village. A fund had been in existence for some time with this idea in mind and by 1937 it was felt possible to make a start on the building.

The building cost £1,450 exclusive of furniture, £1,600 overall and if funds permit steps will be taken to proceed with the necessary proposed extension. Before this is undertaken it will be necessary to clear off the existing mortgage of £600, which was taken out to complete the building as funds were not sufficient. The building was opened on the 15th October 1938 and the Council of Management had high hopes of raising additional funds by means of the usual Garden Fetes held in the summer and by other activities in the winter. Owing to the outbreak of War in September 1939 all activities in this connection had to be suspended.

In October 1939 the Hall was in full occupation by the Emergency Authorities but in June 1940 the Council of Management resumed possession. In June 1940, however, children from Guernsey [see Note] were evacuated to Irby and the County Education Authority took over the premises for the purpose of a temporary school for the evacuated children. An agreement was entered into with the County Education Authority whereby the premises were to be used for school purposes from Monday to Friday at a rental of £58 p.a. The Council of Management had use of the Hall every evening and on Saturdays. The Home Guards had use of the Hall on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from October to April at a nominal fee of five shillings (25p) per occasion and the Council in their efforts to assist war aims have granted either free tenancies, or at reduced rates in a number of cases.

Note:

Following the fall of Paris on 12^th June 1940 and the imminent fall of the rest of France , the German occupation of the Channel Islands became inevitable. There was voluntary evacuation to Britain of the civilians where 34,500 residents of a population of 100,000 left before the surrender on 1^st July 1940 . This included many children who were kept together in their school groups with St. Andrew's School, Guernsey with their teachers (Lester Robilliard, Peter Cherry, Winifred Woodgate and Mabel Le Pelley) being evacuated to Irby via Manchester.

From December 5th to 13th 1947, The Wirral Players produced Irby's First Pantomime (Cinderella) at the Village Hall. The whole net proceeds were given to the Building Fund. The Company appeared in their Cinderella characters at a Cinderella Dance on Saturday, 20th December and fancy dress was optional.

After hostilities had ceased plans were laid for necessary extensions. Building licences were still necessary at this time and many other difficulties were encountered, but eventually a start was made with the Annexe at the West Side of the Hall, at a cost of £550. In the next two years this amount too was raised by various means and the debt cleared. A further extension, which provided a kitchen and storerooms, was completed in 1975 at a cost of £8,293.

The Council of Management faced heavy financial obligations and it was not until 1946 that the premises were freed from debt, which involved a repayment of a bank-overdraft of £800 and a total expenditure of over £2,000. This task could not have been accomplished without the generous support" of local organisations (e.g. The Irby Club, the Irby Dramatic Society, the Wirral Players, the Thingwall Road Bowling Club, the Women's Institute and others), together with miscellaneous individual subscriptions to the Building Fund, which was begun as far back as 1931.

From 1950 as restrictions became fewer and transport by bus and car to places of entertainment further afield was eased, attendance's fell at the various organizations' functions. Receipts from the letting of the Hall declined at the same time as costs rose, and inevitably the letting fees had to be raised. In 1952 an effort by representatives of the various organisations using the Hall to redecorate it by voluntary labour was very successful; unfortunately it did not result in a revenue increase sufficient to 'stop the rot'.

In 1955 the Council of Management launched its biggest effort with an appeal for subscriptions addressed to all the residents of Irby; this raised £80 and by the efforts of those in charge of the Children's Dancing Class another £60 was added. With this money the Council purchased four new heaters for the Hall. A new proscenium was built over the stage and the interior of the Hall redecorated throughout. An offer of some large mirrors at low cost was taken up and helped to furnish the Hall. In November of the same year an innovation was tried - the holding of an Annual Ball, for this effort the Annexe was partitioned off and did duty as a Lounge Bar. The Ball proved highly successful and made a profit.

The Hall had a varied life from 1955. Bookings of the Hall continued to fall and the outlook was regarded as very serious - it was thought that sooner or later the question would have to be faced as to whether Irby could afford a Village Hall or for that matter (by the interest the average resident took in its affairs), deserved one. However, through the dedication and hard work of the Council of Management the Hall has survived its ups and downs and at the present time has a high level of usage and is financially secure but still has difficulty in obtaining people to serve as Council Members and Officers. All Officers and Council Members are responsible for the upkeep and day to day running of the Hall and give their services voluntarily.

The Beatles appeared at the Hall on the 7th September 1962 for the Newton Dancing School and numerous fans from all over the world visited the Hall for the 40th Anniversary during 2002. A brass commemorative plaque was unveiled on the 7th November 2002 by Mrs. Ruth Crouch in honor of her father Mr. C. Hugh Atkinson (the first Chairman) who laid the foundation stone on 9th July 1938 .

Mr. Stephen Hesford MP, Mr. Stephen Maddox (Chief Executive of the M.B. of Wirral) and local Councilors' -Mrs. Jacquie McKelvie, Mr. Jeff Green and Mr. David Elderton were present. The flag staff was erected for the Queen's Jubilee, with donations being given towards the cost by the Irby & Thurstaston Women's Institute and the Dawpool Women's Institute.

At the Annual General Meeting in April 2004 the Council of Management gave a sad farewell to Mr. Dennis Western, Chairman, on his retirement after 26 years service to the Hall and also to Mr. Geoff Prince, Hall Manager, on his retirement after 10 years of service. An engraved bandstand clock was presented to Mr. Western and an engraved barometer to Mr. Prince in recognition of their service. The present officers of the Irby Village Hall Council of Management are - Mrs. Brenda Leaver-Ireland (Hon. Chairman), Mr. Mike Ireland (Hon. Licensee & Hall Manager), Mr. Adrian Knight (Hon. Treasurer & Hall Booking Secretary).

To Book the hall for any function, you can email the Booking Secretary, Mr Adrian Knight - click here to email him (Please do not contact ITPAS for this service)