History of the Hall
PARISH INSTITUTE
taken from ‘Brindle as I remember it’ by Harold
Baxendale
In the first instance an acre of land was given by the
then Lord Chesham. Two conditions were attached, firstly
that the membership was to be non-denominational and secondly
that no intoxicating liquor should be sold on the premises.
The building was purchased from Salisbury Plain in the
form of two ex-army huts, each approximately fifty feet
by twenty five feet to be formed into one building sited
approximately one hundred feet back from Water Street. The
building was adapted and extended by adding ten feet to
the width. The joinery was carried out by William (Bill)
Sharples of Little Holt Farm with Harry Lancaster as labourer;
Charlie Power laid the foundations, Richard (Dick) Hindle
also helped, and the local farmers voluntarily conveyed
the building from Hoghton Station.
Apparently the total cost amounted to £900 and on the
official opening some £600 had been raised. It was noted
that the President was Mr. Thomas Whitehead of Brindle Lodge
(a Solicitor and ‘pillar of the church’) with Richard (Dick)
Grime from Gorton Brook Farm as Chairman and Mr. R. Cooper
of Yew Tree Farm as Secretary.
The accommodation comprised a large dance hall / function
room with stage complete with proscenium arch and storage
beneath the stage. At the centre of the western verandah
was the second entrance used for general access to the remainder
of the building. This comprised of kitchen / shop with serving
hatch each side, an inner committee room complete with table
and chairs to accommodate twelve members accessible from
the small vestibule. The remaining room housed a full-sized
billiard table with dart board hung on the store room door.
The whole building was heated by two large slow-combustion
stoves in the large room and a similar one in the billiard
room. The lighting was provided by an acetylene gas plant
containing in a wooden shed at the eastern end with a lean-to
coke store attached with the ladies toilet adjacent. The
gas lighting was surprisingly effective and also provided
means of boiling water for tea, though there was for some
reason a Valor oil-stove present, possibly for use in emergencies.
When electricity was installed in 1936, this took over
the lighting and water heating but space heating by coke
still remained. At the front there was a wide gravel path
with a lawn on either side, one used as a standard sized
tennis court complete with surrounding ball fence, whilst
the other side was used for bowling. At the east end were
the men’s toilets whist at the rear was a full sized football
pitch.
Just before the Second World War, the members operated
a fairly successful team in the Preston Y.M.C.A. Football
League. They even tried to charging spectators but unsuccessfully
due to cheaper access over the nearest fence; even the Rectory
fence! Extra land was needed to accommodate the soccer pitch
and this was kindly lent free from Bateson Farm by the tenant
Mr. Crompton.
The club was open six nights per week from seven till
ten o’clock to paid up members for their five shilling per
year membership fee. All games were free and the evenings
were well attended by young men employed on the local farms,
as there was no other distraction such as television. The
dance hall was extremely popular holding its weekly Saturday
night dances, nearly always a full house, was achieved as
the patrons came from all the surrounding district. No doubt
these occasions were the start of many a romance. The music
was provided usually by Alban Yates’ Elite Orchestra consisting
of Alban Yates on the piano, Howard Roberts on the violin,
Harry Jones* on the drums and Alan Marsden on the trumpet.
All the musicians came from the Withnell Fold area, walking
across the fields in summer and winter.
On special occasions a band played, led by Matthew Worsley
whose band was resident at the Park Hotel in Preston. The
dances were held from half-past seven until eleven or midnight
if it was some special event. Some dances during the evening
were “lucky spot” dances with prizes, and the success of
the occasion was usually due to well practised M.C. in the
person of Ted Seaman, who became more enthusiastic after
ten o’clock.
In the billiard room during the early part of the evening
there was a whist drive going on which was always well attended
by many regulars. The cost of entry to the dance and/or
whist drive was a shilling (5p), and refreshments were available
from the bar. These comprised of a cake, a mutton pie and
a cup of tea, all for a shilling; there was also a fair
selection of mineral water, crisps, sweets or chocolate,
and cigarettes.
Occasionally there was a show staged in the dance hall,
maybe a local talent variety; one favourite being a puppet
Punch & Judy staged by Mr. Gray, who operated professionally
at Rhyl during the summer and lived at Little Radburn. In
the mid-thirties, Mrs. Blamire arrived to live in the village
from Liverpool; along with her sister Miss Worthington wrote
and produced a popular stage show titled “The Cotton Queen”.
One man stood out, Harry Lancaster the caretaker who
served the Institute throughout its life for a mere ten
shillings (50p) per week. His duties meant attending six
evening per week from at the latest 5.30 p.m. until it closed
at 10.00 p.m. on weekdays and until midnight on a Saturday;
Monday and Friday afternoon for cleaning, and in the summer
time cutting the tennis lawn by hand-mower, marking lines
and erecting nets.
During the War years there were extra periods of opening
for Home Guard training sessions and on Wednesday afternoons
there was the collection of ladies who met to knit comforts
for the troops. Naturally during the War attendance and
membership fell, which made the financial position difficult
and in order to help the position Mr. Lancaster did the
work without pay and helped out in other financial ways.
He carried out the duties without a break throughout the
years until his death in 1956.
During the fifties the Institute was demolished and the
internal fittings, including the full sized billiard table,
was given away.
* It is recorded by Ron Blackburn that Eddie Ambrose
played the drums in the ‘orchestra’ in later years.
WARTIME
In 1939 on the first Sunday after war was declared, the
Parish Institute was opened to receive a busload of expectant
mothers who were evacuated from Liverpool to a safer environment
due to the possibility of imminent bombing. After a few
days they returned to their homes when it was realised that
things were not so imminent as expected.
On a Wednesday evening the Home Guard or L.D.V. as there
were originally known held training sessions under the command
of Lt. Ryder and Sergeant Jack Cranshaw, the latter from
Denham Farm in the village.
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