History of the Hall
The new hall has been 83 years in the making...
The idea for a hall and recreation facilities in the
village came from local men who had fought and survived
World War One. Some 150 men from the village had gone to
war, with some 15 'Brindlers' making the ultimate
sacrifice.
Minutes of Brindle Parish Council for the 26th
January 1920 recorded that...
"At 8.30 p.m. a deputation was received forming a
Committee of Messrs. Grime, Moss, Hindle and Stott
asking for support for a proposed Recreation Room for
Brindle. This support was granted four voting in favour
and two either against it or neutral"
Parish Institute Opening Ceremony, 1923
Things moved on when on Saturday, 18th August 1923
the Parish Institute was officially opened by Lord
Chesham. His Lordship, who was a member of the Cavendish
family and related to the Duke of Devonshire, had land
in the village and donated the site for a recreation
room with a bowling green and tennis court; a football
pitch was created sometime later on an adjacent farmer's
field.
Click here for the
report from the 'Preston Guardian' about the opening
ceremony.
The original hall, 1923
The original buildings were former Army huts from
Salisbury Plain and the whole project cost £900. The
community played its part in transporting the huts from
Hoghton railway station nearby, as well as preparing the
site and erecting the buildings.
Original Constitution, 1923
The original constitution of the Institute recorded
that...
"The Institute or any part thereof shall be open
to each of the inhabitants of Brindle without
distinction of sex of the age of fourteen years and
upwards, who shall be sober and industrious and of good
character".
and...
"No gambling or playing games for money shall be
permitted in the Institute or any part of the premises
hereby assured" and that "No intoxicating liquor shall
at any time be sold or consumed in the Institute or on
any part of the premises hereby assured".
Today, the current hall has no restriction on the
sale of alcohol and a licensed bar is available for all
events.
Tennis outside the Institute between the Wars
The Institute thrived between the Wars; membership
being set at five shillings (25p) per year, and entrance
to the weekly Whist Drive and Dance was just a shilling
(5p). The facilities were well used, with the hall being
open six nights of the week (closed on Sundays).
After some hard times during the Second World War,
the Institute tried in vain to regain its original
popularity and struggled on until closure in 1958. The
original wooden buildings, which had served the village
for 35 years, were pulled down and the fixtures and
fittings were sold.
A more detailed account of the original Institute and
Brindle between the Wars can be found in an excellent
book 'Brindle as I remember it' by Harold Baxendale;
click here for extracts
about the Institute.
Despite the field being used occasionally for field
days and sports days, the site (like the village) lay
dormant for many years until interest was rekindled in
the mid-1970's, around the time a new housing
development in the centre of the village.
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