The History of the Hall
Siddington Village Hall was built in 1921 on land off Ashton Road in the centre of Siddington village, which is approximately 2 miles south of the attractive Cotswold town of Cirencester in Gloucestershire.
It was built as a Memorial Hall to those from the village who died in the Great War (World War I). The land upon which it is built was originally given to the residents of Siddington Village by the then Earl Bathurst for this purpose. The building stone for the main hall is understood to have been recycled from a derelict Cotswold barn that originally stood at the end of “The Common” in Siddington. The cost of building the hall was covered by fundraising events and donations organised by the then residents of Siddington. (See our Archive page for reproductions of Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard articles from 1921 describing the meetings, fundraising events, and opening ceremony.)
In the intervening years, a number of additions and alterations have been carried out to provide a committee room, a larger kitchen, improved toilet facilities, disabled access, and storage areas.
Today the hall is still owned by the village and is held in trust within a UK-registered charity (no. 266818). It is operated according to the trust’s governing document dated 4th March 1975 (with subsequent amendments).
The primary stated object of the charity is:
” ... provision and maintenance of a village hall for the use of the inhabitants of Siddington without distinction of political, religious, or other opinions, including use for meetings, lectures and classes, and for other forms of recreation, and leisure-time occupation, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants”.
Management of the Hall
The hall is managed and maintained entirely by volunteers. The trustees of Siddington Village Hall are a small group elected or appointed according to the governing document every year at the AGM. Apart from the day-to-day activities associated with letting, maintaining, and dealing with the legal aspects of managing the hall, the trustees are actively involved with organising fundraising events and planning improvements to keep this village asset a pleasant facility for all to use.
The trustees meet every other month to discuss management issues and fund-raising issues.
The present team of trustees:
- Chairman: Mark Young (Elected Trustee)
- Treasurer: Philip Vickers (Elected Trustee)
- Bookings Secretary: Kim Tye (Elected Trustee)
- Penny Badger (Co-opted Trustee)
- John Hayward (Elected Trustee)
- Penny Henty (Elected Trustee)
- Marjory Jarvis (Co-opted Trustee)
- Christopher Tye (Elected Trustee)
- Victoria Wilson (Elected Trustee)
- One vacant trustee position
If you are a resident in the Parish of Siddington and would be interested in helping run this village amenity by becoming a trustee (or in a less formal way as a volunteer helper), please contact one of the trustees above or email siddingtonvillagehall@gmail.com.
We are very lucky and proud to be served by Gigaclear. They provide us with a free Gigaclear Community Hub which powers our hall’s ultrafast, full-fibre broadband connection available to all users and visitors.