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The current Village Hall used to
be the school. Until about 1939, a Church
Hut had stood on land next to the school and was used for social
gatherings but the hut was demolished at that time and Prospect Villas
were built in its place. After the war when it seemed that a new school in
Thurlow might mean the closure of Great Bradley School, a fund was opened
in Great Bradley ready for possible purchase of the school building for
use as a village hall.
The school finally closed in 1967, and, since it had been a
Church school the building was to be sold by the Diocesan Authorities. On
June 29th, a parish meeting took place when it was agreed to negotiate the
purchase. In May 1968, an offer to purchase the school for £1,250 was
sent to H. C. Wolton & Son who had valued the property on behalf of
the Diocesan Authorities. The fund referred to earlier had risen to
£339-12s-10d. In addition to the purchase price, a considerable sum was
required for conversion of the school into a village hall. Grants
available at the time could be maximised by application from a village
hall committee rather than the Parish Council
.
After much discussion on the proposed
conversion of the school, planning approval was given by Clare Rural
District Council on 26th March 1971. Various fund raising activities had
been organised by the Village Hall Committee such as Bingo sessions
throughout 1969, 1970 and 1971, and a summer fete held on July 4th 1970
which raised ca £160. In October 1970, the treasurer reported a balance
of £685-5s-6d. In addition, the Parish had received £419 from sale of
land in Evergreen Lane (now occupied by 'Ragill' and 'Conways'). The
purchase and conversion costs were: £1,325 eventual purchase price,
£4,247 building work and £531 architect fees making a total of £6,103.
The Architect appointed was John Adams of Ipswich, and the contractor was
M. Carrick of Newmarket. To save costs, in August 1972, the existing
outbuildings were demolished by voluntary labour and the bricks were
cleaned for reuse. Grants were received from West Suffolk Education
Committee (£3,196) and Clare Rural District Council (£1,248). The
Village Hall was opened officially by Group Captain Leonard Cheshire, VC
on 30th June 1973. The Hall was filled to capacity for the
occasion, with many people unable to gain access and having to stand outside. The
Village Hall was
registered as a charitable trust in 1986 and the named trustees were R. S.
Ryder and F. Hearn. The registered charity number is 293044. In May 1999
the Hall closed for major refurbishment. The tender price of £60,224
submitted by RG. Bailey & Sons was accepted, and the Hall was reopened
in March 2000. Grants were obtained from the Millennium Commission and St.
Edmundsbury Borough Council. The parish contribution was obtained by a
variety of fund raising functions and the Parish Council assisted by
obtaining a Public Works Loan of £9,000 repayable over a 15 year period
The hall is now well used and available for hire
for a range of events and clubs.
Click here for more information
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