News

We hope you have seen the changing photos on our home page. They show two from the official opening of the hall and two from different wedding receptions held this year. We hope you will agree they show the hall can be successfully set up for all occasions.

The hall is now complete. Small finishing jobs are being undertaken and curtains and finishing touches are underway. Please visit the photo section to see pictures of the new interior

The architect has advised us not to open to the public until all the outside guide rails are in place. This will be completed in a matter of days and we will then be holding an open day for anyone to pop in and look at the wonderful new facilities. We will be letting the village know about the dates and times as soon as possible and the hall will be open to hire from April 1st. A formal opening of the Village Hall will take place in early May.

A brand new website will soon be in place with all of the details and hire arrangements about the hall. Should you wish to enquire before the web site appears please telephone either of our two booking secretaries:

Annie Winner 01865 361544
Or
Marie Holmes 01865 361200

The Village Hall Management committee would like to thank everyone for their support and interest in the building work. Special thanks to our near neighbours who were patient and understanding as the work took place.

We look forward to seeing you in our ‘new’ village hall.

Work has continued and the new hall is really taking shape. The rear extension has been built and the committee room, kitchen, store room and new WC are all in place.

The exterior new roof covering will be installed in the coming weeks. Inside the main hall has been plastered and first fix electrical fixings are in place. The floor finish has been chosen for all of the areas. The kitchen has been designed and appliances chosen. Many thanks to members of Garsington W.I and Build Base kitchen design team.

The retaining wall outside the new committee room is complete and the exterior work needed for the disabled parking is beginning to take shape.

Towards Re-opening
We are still on course for the contract completion at the end of February. Weather or supply difficulties may change this but we are confident that the hall will up and running for early March. Please check back here for further updates. The management committee has decided to keep hire rates as they are at present and will review them at the AGM in October.

Basil Townsend the booking secretary has decided to step down after fifty years of service to the village hall. The management committee would like to place on record their sincere appreciation of the work that Basil has undertaken on behalf of the community. He was one of the founder members of the committee that established the fund to build a new village hall. We hope that the new facilities are, in part, a tribute to his efforts over the years.

A new booking secretary has been found and further details about how to contact the booking secretary and how to hire the hall will appear here and in the Garsington Newsletter shortly.

Check back here regularly as we move towards the opening of our ‘new’ hall.

Well, well, well

Another surprise has been uncovered as the building work progresses. After demolition of the old shed, footings were being dug out for the new committee room and the builders discovered the remains of an old circular well.

South Oxfordshire District Council building officers have been consulted and it has been filled-in to their satisfaction. Two of the latest photographs show the circular outline of red bricks. None of us on the management committee have any knowledge of a well being in place on the site of the village hall. We would be interested to know if anyone can remember such a thing.

Did the well serve the surrounding houses? If you know anything about it, or its history, please get in touch with me on 01865 361223.

In addition to the latest discovery, work progresses on the exterior cladding and the roof strengthening is nearly complete. The structural roof timbers are now double the original thickness.

The old shed has been demolished along with the kitchen and the footings are in place for the new kitchen and committee room extension.

The next few weeks will see the completion of the exterior cladding and work beginning on the new roof covering. If the weather is favourable, we hope this will be completed before Christmas. In the new year, work will then concentrate on the internal alterations and fittings.

We are very pleased with the work of Stone Ark builders and the continued help and guidance of the architect, Andrew Petrons.

The project is continuing on schedule for the planned completion at the end of February 2012.

Work is progressing well. The major changes to the exterior have slowed down because we are awaiting approval from South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) for approval of the cladding and roofing materials.

Work continues inside. The important work has been the strengthening of the wall supports and roof structure. SODC building control officers have demanded that the roof should be strengthened even though the building has stood well for one hundred years.

New timbers are being added to the roof and A frames. Whenthis work was being undertaken our builders discovered a written message from workers who worked on the ceiling in 1969. Please look through the photos and you will see their written message.

Other important work undertaken has been the removal of the old hardwood floor and a new floor covering put in place ready to receive a new hardwood floor finish later on in the building schedule.

The work on the toilet block has gone well and we are pleased that we are able to offer a new layout with improved space in the ladies toilets.

Good news. The work has begun on the hall. The builders Stone Ark Ltd have started work on the framework of the building. They have uncovered some very old timbers and some of them need to be strengthened or replaced.

The internal walls have been taken down and the false ceiling has been removed. The stage has gone too and the internal space looks larger than before.

Preliminary work on the new disabled parking has also been marked out.

All in all we are off to a good start.