History of Goring Village Hall
More distant history:
- The Village Hall, previously called "The Church Room" or "Parish Hall" was designed by Percy Stone (Architect) who lived in the original Nun's Acre
- Construction was carried out by Thomas Higgs & Sons of Station Road, Goring
- The Church Room was opened on the 4th May 1900, actually two rooms separated by a roller blind, which is still in situ today though unused
- The stage was added in 1910, at a cost of about £100
- In 1920 a low level kitchen was added at the rear of the main building
- The clock was installed in the tower in 1929. The clock was owned by the Village and managed by the Parish Council until April 2016 the it was transferred to become the responsibility of the Village Hall Trustees
- In 1938 the Annex (now known as the Bellême Room) was added (also constructed by Thomas Higgs)
- It is believed that Mr. Palmer (of Huntley and Palmer Biscuits), who lived in Woden House, generously paid for the room to be built
- The Ladies Toilet was upstairs, Gentlemen outside - against the back wall
- On the 50th Anniversary of the opening the Parish Magazine (May 1950) published a short article. Click here to view
- The "Parish Hall" was sold to Goring Parish Council in 1983 and renamed "Goring Village Hall"
- The Centenary of the Hall was celebrated with a reception for invited guests on Thursday 4th May 2000
- 1986 The kitchen added, built by local building firm, Hines
- 1988 Main Hall floor re-laid with Malaysian Merabu
- 1989 the Cockerel weather vane, gifted to the village by Bellême, was added to the apex above the main door
- 1990 Toilet Block and Front Porch added
- 1991 Clock tower timber & lead repaired
- 1993 Main Hall roof retiled and repaired
- 1995 Main Hall redecorated
- 1996 Kitchen re-equipped
- 1999 Old low level kitchen, at the rear, was removed, and the floor and roof raised to provide a new store room
- 2010 Toilets refurbished by Boshers of Cholsey
- 2012 Garden Room, patio and garden added by local builder Tracy Averies
- 2013 First Floor rooms refurbished and decorated by local tradesmen Roger Pratley and Barry Purnell.
- 2013 Fixed stairs provided to the clock mechanism loft
- 2013 Main Hall and Bellême Heating burners replaced - May
- 2013 150 new chairs delivered in June and a further 30 in November
- 2014 Main Hall windows replaced with double glazed UPVC including solar powered opening/closing
- 2015 Main Hall lighting replaced with controllable LED fittings and bulbs - February
- 2015 Online booking system introduced - January
- 2015 Stage and surrounds lighting upgraded to LED - October
- 2015 Infinity WiFi installed - December
- 2016 Full internal redecoration by Chris Lewington Ltd - January
- 2016 Bellême Room, Kitchen, Toilets and external lighting upgrade - February
- 2016 Bellême Room & Kitchen Windows double glazed - February
- 2016 All loft space insulation increased to 300mm - February
- 2016 Water saving device fitted to gents toilet - February
- 2016 Kitchen crockery & cutlery replacement - March
- 2016 Stage flats and supports - in conjunction with Goring Gap Players - April
- 2016 Musical event lighting upgrade - July
- 2016 Major refurbishment of the clock tower - February to July
- 2016 PA system extended into Bellême & Garden Rooms - October
- 2016 Projection Screens replaced - November
- 2017 Remote and thermostatic heating controls - February
- 2017 External woodwork repairs and redecoration - May
- 2017 Permanent Projector in Main Hall - June
- 2017 Sound attenuation in Garden Room - October
- 2017 Replacement black out blinds in Main Hall - November
- 2018 External Lock upgrade - January
- 2018 Main Hall & Belleme Room floors resurfaced - September
- 2018 Additional External Notice Board - October
- 2019 Water & Heating boiler - October
- 2019 Sensor taps - December
- 2019 Stage Project completed - December
- 2021 Cockerel weather vane removed for repair - March
- 2022 High Speed Fibre Broadband installed by SODC - March
- 2022 Cockerel weather vane reinstated
- 2022 Smart TV screen added to Garden Room
Read more about the History of the halls
| GVH The inside story - History 1899 to 2017.pdf |
| How Goring Got Its Clock - pdf |
Illustrated Talk
The Chairman of the Trustees, 2015 to 2020, Bernard Novell has prepared an illustrated talk on the History of the halls with particular emphasis on the 2016 clock tower improvement project. If anyone would like to book a talk please use the Contact Us page