Prestwood Village Hall
Established 1928
Prestwood Village Hall
Established 1928
History
Prestwood Village Hall: A Brief History
1924
Mary Ellen Stevens and the women of Prestwood Women’s Institute played a major part in the establishment of the Prestwood Village Hall. In 1924 the Women’s Institute would meet in the local church hall until it was decided by the ladies that a more central hall in the village would be more suitable. It was Mary Ellen Stevens who asked her husband Cornelius Stevens to gift a plot of land for the building of the hall which he duly did at what is now addressed as 1, Wycombe Road.
The ladies of the Women’s Institute set about fund raising by going door to door for donations, carrying out jumble sales, whist drives etc. Many locals donated bricks and Howards, who owned the brick fields in Honor End Lane kindly donated a large quantity of bricks. The cornerstone was laid by Lilian Joanna Vere Parker the Countess of Macclesfield on 7th June 1928 and the hall was officially opened.
Historical Documents
Cornelius and Mary Stevens with family. Courtesy of Prestwood Archive
Cornelius Stevens
The Deed of Gift for the village hall was drawn up Cornelius Stevens and the original trustees (Nellie Addison, Maude Isobel Ashton, Herbert James Briggs, John James Burley, Herbert Groom, Cecil Murton Strouts and Harold Whitting Veasey) and signed and registered on 15th October 1925. This is the governance document of Prestwood Village Hall and clause 2 caused a bit of a stir. It sets out that the hall should not be used by any particular church denomination or political party. This upset the local vicar who wrote an article in the parish magazine criticising the clause as he mistakenly took it to mean the complete exclusion of church groups and political parties. In fact the clause means that the hall is not to be used exclusively by one church group or political party but should be open to all.
Cornelius Stevens wrote a rather sharp letter to the vicar correcting him and referred the clause to a Mr A.C. Nesbitt of 5, Stone Building, Lincolns Inn for judgement. The clause was vindicated on 27th March 1927 and the article, Cornelius Stevens’ letter and the judgement were attached to the Deed of Gift and registered at the solicitors representing the village hall.
Cornelius Stevens Butchers located in High Wycombe. Image courtesy of Prestwood Archive website
1927
In 1927 the WI gifted an army hut to the rear of the village hall which was used as a boys club and as the village library. In 1930 the gas lamps were replaced by electric light and in 1938 it was declared that the hall was free of debt.
1939-45
During the second world war the hall was used by the local school, the ARP and was used so that parents could visit their evacuated children. The hall was the headquarters of the Home Guard during the war and there is also a photograph of the Home Guard gathered outside of the Village Hall on the excellent Prestwood Archive ( prestwoodarchive.org.uk ). It was also during the second world war that the Trustees purchased the land which is now the car park. The Conveyance is dated 15th January 1942 and the land was purchased from Albert Cornelius Stevens, the son of Cornelius Stevens for the princely sum of £120.00.
The extension to the Prestwood Village Hall was completed in 1967 which allowed for much needed storage space and a larger kitchen.
Former Prime Minister Clement Attlee attends a function at the village hall in 1952 with his wife and daughter. He spent his retirement at Cherry Cottage in Green Lane. (courtesy of Prestwood Archive website)
1960’s – 70’s
During the late 60’s in to the 70’s a village carnival was held annually to raise funds for the village hall with many local organisations organised floats which paraded along the High Street. The management committee of the village hall were heavily involved in the organisation of the event which used to end with a dance at the hall. I have seen a newspaper cutting which shows a child holding the lead of a young lion!
1998
In 1998 it was proposed that a clock tower should be erected on the Wycombe Road end of the roof above the village hall bus shelter to commemorate the millennium. This was completed in 2000 and has often been remarked upon as a welcome addition to the hall and the village.
Prestwood Village Hall continues to be a well used facility in the village and we have been delighted by the way it has bounced back following the enforced closure due to Covid-19. During the lockdown we had no income and the unfortunate failure of a section of the roof meant for expensive repairs to the roof and the interior of the hall. We are therefore grateful to Buckinghamshire County Council for a grant which topped up the funds provided by the treasury.
2022
We also extend our thanks to the people who continue to hire and attend events at the hall. Without you there would be no Prestwood Village Hall. There are a number of long term users including the Forget-Me-Not club, South Bucks Karate Academy, The Gardening Society, Kings Church, Jazzercise High Wycombe, Prestwood Players and of course the two Women’s Institute groups one of which still meets at the village hall at 2.00pm on the first Wednesday of every month just as they did 94 years ago.
I have to admit that my knowledge of the history of the hall is somewhat limited although I did first attend as a baby and then went on the playschool which was held in the hall. There will be many villagers who have experiences of the village hall and if you would like me to add to the history here please drop me a line at nigel@prestwoodvillagehall.org.uk. I also admit that a lot of the above has been plagiarized from a speech made by Val Corteen which is available on the Prestwood Village Association website.
Nigel Corteen
March 2022.
Next: Facilities