The original Oddfellows hall, built around 1905, when the Oddfellows lodge moved across the road from their regular meeting place at The Spread Eagle Public House.
The gentleman at the gate is William Alfred Rumball, born in 1847 so around 55 years of age probably a past Grand Master of the Barton Bendish Lodge.
The fanlight above the door contains the letters O F H indicating it as the Oddfellows Hall.
1909 and the wedding of 22 year old Hannah Louise Rumball, spinster of this parish, and Alec Stephen Holmes a 24 year old bricklayer, also of this parish. They were married on 16th October at the nearby St Andrews parish church by the Rev Stephen Gooch Read.
This could well be the first wedding breakfast held in the new hall.
The likely looking bunch above are the oddfellows on their annual parade, photographed in the grounds of Score House, which then served as the rectory for the Reverend Stephen Gooch Read, who can be seen on the far left of the picture.
The photograph below, taken a little later, probably in the 1920’s shows a young lady with children standing outside of the hall, where it has had the addition of a thin porch. The picket gate seems to have survived this far at least.
The O F H seems to have been lost from the fanlight, although the lodge was still very active at this time.
Into the 1920’s and this postcard taken outside of the former shop shows a likely group of customers, with the Village Hall in the background.
Is the lady 2nd from left also the subject of the photo on the left?
Probably taken at the same time by Mr Raby, this postcard shows the view looking the other way, with a group of parishioners including a horse and cart and a new fangled motor vehicle.
The substantial tree in the churchyard is no longer there and the brick wall, gate and barn have long gone, but otherwise, not a lot different to today!
Moving into the 1950’s now for a rapt audience for the May Day pageant, where all the children used to parade in fancy dress. The studious lady on the left is Miss Tripp, the schoolmistress.
And here is a may day parade with an interesting range of fancy dress, including a disrespectful ‘Stars and Stripes’ in the distress position!
The presence of the Rev Ellaby indicates this picture of the annual ‘Old Folks’ dinner was somewhere betwen 1950 and 1954
Toilets were added to the rear of the building in the 1990’s about the same time as the old pot bellied stove was removed. Many villagers even now recall the heat given off and the need for protective railings around it. There are scars on the rear wall, covered over now by the toilet extension, which indicate there may have been an earlier lean too building in that location, although all records seem lost.
And our final 1950’s picture is of this delightful Advent scene of Mary, Joseph and all the little angels, shepherds and wise men. This seems to show a stage at the southern end of the hall. The door to the toilets is just visible on the left hand side.
