History
In 1934 Mr Basil Darby (a descendant of Abraham Darby of Ironbridge) formed the first committee to create a Village Hall in Lowsonford. Frank Priest, a merchant from Moseley in Birmingham, gave a small corner of Poundley Meadows to be held in trust for the benefit of the inhabitants of the hamlet of Lowsonford and its immediate vicinity and the building of the Hall commenced in 1936. The trust was formally established and the land conveyed to it (with the building works already in progress) in December 1936 and it became a registered charity in 1937. The first Trustees were Mr Darby, three local farmers (Messrs. Currall, Corbett and Mann), Mr Morley from North Rookery and the local Doctor’s wife, Mrs Hollick.
The lovely site on the bank of the picturesque Stratford-upon-Avon Canal by Lo
wsonford lock was ideally situated between the two village pubs, The Fleur de Lys and the White Horse, the latter of which is now a private dwelling.
wsonford lock was ideally situated between the two village pubs, The Fleur de Lys and the White Horse, the latter of which is now a private dwelling.The Hall was solidly built as it was not subject to the regulations, licensing and shortage of materials that occurred during the Second World War and the years that followed. Ned Taylor, then a teenager living with his mother at Lock Cottage (now Lengthsman's Cottage - see the Canals page for further details), worked on the building site and was always proud to boast that he “built the Village Hall”.
Mr Darby retired in 1959 after 25 years as chairman of the committee and was presented with an engraved walking stick in recognition of his long service. He died in 1961 but his wife, Helen (a member of the Chamberlain family), continued to live at Finwood until her death aged 99 and served the Hall for many years as chairman and trustee.
The Hall has undergone major extensions on three occasions and in 1993 the new meeting room, the Helen Darby room, was named in memory of Mrs Darby.
Use and hire of the Hall
Lowsonford Village Hall is an ideal venue for entertaining friends, children's parties, cultural and educational functions, as well as for general meetings.
The Hall has recently been completely renovated and rewired with a new fully insulated roof, additional heating and attractive wall panelling and decoration throughout.
The main hall will accommodate 75 seated with adequate aisle space. The Helen Darby room is perfect for smaller meetings.
A bar room (complete with glasses) adjoins the Helen Darby room and has direct access to the large, well-equiped kitchen. A nine pin bowling alley can be set up in the hall and is available for hire at extra cost.
Outside a tree-lined grass area leads down to the canalside and can be used for alfresco parties, art classes etc. There is a large tarmac car park adequate for the hall's capacity.
Contact
For further details and to book this excellent venue please telephone Gill Carlyle on 01926 842231 or
Mike Trigg.
Location
Click here to view the location of Lowsonford Village Hall on an interactive Google map. When the map loads, click on Lowsonford Village Hall in the index on the left of the page and the hall's marker will appear on the map.
