Celebrating 100 Years of Fairfield Church Hall
Even though many of you will know the building that is currently standing as Fairfield Village Hall, its official name is Fairfield Church Hall.
In 1979 the old wooden Church Hall was knocked down and replaced by the Village Hall that stands today. The management of the hall was moved from St. Mark’s to a Committee of Management, elected residents from the community and designated service users.
Back in August/September 1926 there was no Church Hall, with Village activities taking place at Fairfield School. A Church Hall “Building” committee, consisting of Trustees and residents had been formed, and they held their meetings at the school, coordinating fund raising activities, studying building plans & commissioning a contractor to erect the building. By the end of 1926 the Church Hall had been built and formally opened.
Opening Ceremony of St. Mark’s Church Hall
The hall was formally opened on Saturday December 11th 1926 by Lady Georgina Vernon, who was supported on the platform by the Rector (the Rev. Douglas Alner Townsend), Mrs. Townsend, Messrs. W. H. Matty (Hon. Treasurer and Trustee), J. T. G. Davis (Trustee), H. S. Stevens & F. Handley (Churchwardens), J. B. Nickols (Hon. Secretary), W. S. Webb, Mrs. W. Shakespeare Webb & Mrs. W. H. Matty.
Having briefly introducing Lady Georgina Vernon, the Rector asked her to formally Open the Hall, and she proceeded to the door on the west side (veranda door), and with a silver key presented to her by the Contractor (Mr. Grosvenor Workman of Birmingham) unlocked the door and declared the Hall open.
Speeches from the Rector and several other persons followed, and a full report of the opening ceremony appeared the “County Express” & “Bromsgrove Messenger”.
Upwards of 300 people were present for the opening ceremony, the hall was filled to the utmost capacity. Many people had to stand as there was insufficient seating.
By hospitality of Mr. Matty everyone was served with tea, and a collection was taken for the Hall funds, which amounted to £10 10s 6d.
A concert followed the opening ceremony at 7pm, when the hall was again filled to capacity. Dancing was kept up until 11pm, and the day’s proceedings then ended. Everyone being pleased with their achievements and confident of the Hall’s future success.
Celebrating 100 Years
As there is a lot going on in December, with our and other Christmas events, we will mark the centenary of Fairfield Church Hall on Friday 30 October with an afternoon tea, starting at 2.00pm, with a selection of sandwiches, cakes and lashing of tea. During the afternoon, there will be demonstrations from some of our current hall users, dancing & taekwondo. There will also be a display of photos and memories in the Hall foyer, including videos of past pantomimes. Tickets are £8.00 each and can be purchased via our BARTS website (www.bromsgrovearts.org.uk) or from the Community Shop (open during Foodie Fairfield and The Wednesday Social. The Village Hall bar will be open for people wanting something stronger than tea & coffee.
For people unable to attend the Afternoon Tea, the display can be viewed on Saturday 31October, times will be posted on our social media sites and in the eNewsletter.
Do you have any photos or memories that you can share?
Pop them down to the Hall during the morning of Friday 30 October, collect on Saturday evening, during the Halloween Family Event. We’d like to scan your photos and memories, so that they can be kept for years to come.
For catering purposes, deadline for buying tickets is Friday 23rd October.