Jubilee Village Hall Salhouse
A Rich History…
On the 26th October 1910 an HM Inspector praised the school for its new arrangements: a new infants classroom, a boys’ cloakroom, a lavatory and an office. The playground was split by a wooden fence in order to separate the boys from the girls.
Although the ‘new’ school opened in Cheyney avenue in 1976, it was some time before the old school building was closed. It did finally close in 1991 after being used for some years as a youth club. The building gradually fell into disrepair with rotting wooden fittings and leaking roof.
At a similar time there was concern over the future of the then current wooden village hall, which was built in 1949 in memory of the Salhouse villagers who went off to World War 2. A group met in the local pub to discuss possible options and once the old school had been decided as the best venue for the new hall a committee was formed at the end of 1996 to raise funds to restore the Old School – the committee going under the name of ‘Salhouse 2000’
With the help of a grant of £240,000 from the National Lotteries Charity, along with money being raised from the sale of old hall site, donations and various fundraising events the building work finally got under way in the Spring of 2002
The Jubilee Hall was officially opened on Saturday 19th October 2002 by Louise Priest of BBC Radio Norfolk and her daughter Grace. The hall was ‘christened’ with a barrel of Woodforde’s Wherry bitter and cakes and refreshments form the WI. Members of the Salhouse 2000 committee at this time were Peter Treglown, Chris Dady, John Pyatt, Tessa Brewster, Kathy Clarke, Dianne Cushing, Anne Metcalfe and Ceanne Wilde.
The two main rooms are both commemorative halls. The main hall is named after local barrister Graham Clarke, who was instrumental in starting the campaign for the hall, but sadly died before it was completed. The Memorial Room links with the old village hall as a tribute to those residents killed in the second world war.
The new hall is well used and has a multitude of different uses with clubs and groups ranging form the very young, right up to the not so young., as well as regular use for adhoc parties and events.
Many thanks to Colin McCormick for allowing us to use excerpts and some images from ‘The Book of Salhouse and Woodbastwick’. You can purchase Colin's wonderful book here.
Salhouse Jubilee Hall is on the site of the ‘old school’ in Lower Street, Salhouse.
The building dates back to 1844 when the original school was constructed. Before the national school was built in Salhouse it was unclear exactly what educational facilities were available. Following an Act of Parliament in 1841 for the ‘Conveyance and Endowment of Sites for Schools’ the Reverend Holmes, curate of Wroxham with ‘Salhouse’, wrote to the national society for Education in 1843. The land for the school was given by Mr Richard Ward, the local Squire of Salhouse Hall. It was officially opened by the Bishop of Norwich on 15th November 1844
The original schools consisted of just one classroom for 81 boys and girls, as well as a residence for the Master. By the turn of the century it was getting a bit cramped, with four teachers having to give their lessons at the same time in one room, conditions were becoming almost impossible. In 1909 it was recognised that the school needed extending and modernising. In 1910 a tender was accepted for £547 to split the rooms with a glass screen.
