Parish Hall

Wesleyan Chapel Parish Institute Parish Hall

In November 1937 the Parish Institute was renamed the Parish Hall and it was decided to charge the Parish Meeting 2s 0d each meeting for the use of the hall. In 1951 the charge was 4s 6d which rose to 5s 0s later in the same year.

Plans were being made in 1938 to enlarge the hall but World War 2 intervened and, apart from redecoration, nothing was done until 1951 when a new kitchen was added. The money for the alterations (over £1,200) was collected from the parishioners. By request the opening ceremony was a simple one performed by the Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells, on Saturday December 15th, 1951. A bouquet was given to Miss O’Connor in appreciation of her efforts in fund raising. A dance was held in the evening on a new polished floor of French hardwood.

The hall has had many uses, the Loxton Women’s Institute started in April 1940 with 16 members, and met in the Village Hall until 1978 when they disbanded. During World Ward Two the Home Guard shot a hole in the roof with a bullet, during one of their practises. Evacuees from the London area and Bristol also used it as an extra classroom. An annual Christmas party for all the children and their mothers from Loxton, Christon and Webbington was held. Money was raised for the party by holding Whist Drives in the hall. The school dentist held his practise there from 1937 until 1959 when a mobile dental unit was introduced.

In 1974 it was decided to enlarge the kitchen and add a dressing room for amateur theatricals. The local residents made donations and loans towards the cost. In addition building materials were also donated, and the money from fund raising events totalled £700. The total cost was nearly £2,000. The work started early in 1975 and a party was held on Thursday, April 29th 1976 for the re-opening.

The hall has been used as a polling station since 1950. The Harvest Home supper started as a social event in 1978. Various fund raising events have been held over the years for its upkeep. There are weekly meetings for the Youth Club, and annual concerts have been held in past years.

During 2000 the hall was renovated once more at a cost of £33,513, most of which was a grant from the National Lottery Fund. The main alterations being a new central heating system and a refitted kitchen. The Marchioness of Tavistock, formerly Henrietta Tiarks, who used to visit her grandfather at Loxton when she was a child, performed the reopening ceremony on November 14, 2000.

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