The programme for the 2019 Harwell Feast refers back 60 years to the 1959 Feast when money was raised for the setting up of the village hall.
It was reported that negotiations were proceeding between the parish council and the technical institute for the purchasing of the institute by the parish. In the end that didn’t happen. But the technical institute was reborn as the village hall, with a new management committee and continued to receive support from the parish council. These note are based on the minutes of the parish council, and provide some more detail on what took place in 1959 and 1960.[References are to page numbers within PCMinutes_vol_5.]
At the Annual Parish Meeting (March 1959) it was minuted that the PC wanted to build/provide a village hall and were looking at various sites. A resolution was put that the PC make a donation to the Harwell Charity Trustees towards the cost of maintaining the Technical Institute. The clerk said that the trustees do not hold meetings in public and there would be no accountability or control over how the money was spent. An amendment was made to say that the PC should offer to buy the Technical Institute, rather than make a financial contribution. Carried 13 to 7. [114, 31 Mar 1959 APM].
In a General Purpose Committee, immediately following APM, the clerk was instructed to write to the trustees with the offer to purchase the Technical Institute. [115, 31 Mar 1959 ].
27 April meeting had received no reply [116]. 25 May meeting received a letter, delivered at the meeting, Trustees said they were considering selling the Technical Institute to the PC. PC deferred discussion. [118]
September PC minutes report that the Trustees wrote to the Ministry of Education and a reply was awaited [125 14 Sep 1959 ]
In October, a further letter from the trustees to the PC proposed the formation of a new trust with joint management committee, as preferable to an outright sale. Meeting was reminded that PC had agreed to purchase, but it decided to accept the invitation to discuss, recognising that a special parish meeting might be needed. [127, 128, 26 Oct 1959].
The meeting with trustees took place, and included a representative from National Council of Social Service [see note 1 below] who advised that the Technical Institute should remain the property of the trustees, but that agreement should be reached with the Ministry of Education to modify the trust to allow it to be used as a Village Hall. [129, 7 Dec 1959]. Progress was reported. [131, 18 Jan 1960].
At the next Parish Meeting in March 1960 chair reported successful discussion with the trustees, and highlighted advice that if the Village Hall became the property of the PC it would get no financial help from the Ministry, but it could if it were managed by a Village Hall committee with the Trustee of Charitable Lands as the effective trustee. New scheme being prepared. [136, 28 Mar 1960]
In May, Trustees were proposing composition of the management committee. No PC action needed [137, 2 May 1960]
A General Purpose Committee Meeting considered the draft Village Hall scheme, proposed by the Ministry of Education. Agreed it satisfactory, except for committee membership. Cricket, football and bowls clubs should have their own representatives, but to keep total number at 18, the number of co-opted members should be reduced by 2. [145, 5 Sep 10960]
A parish meeting was held to put the draft scheme to the Parish (10 parishioners present). Comments about why AERE was represented, and the poor heating in the hall. Scheme was approved. Clerk to the Trustees looked forward to nominations to the committee of management as soon as the scheme was approved by the Ministry of Education, and he would call an inaugural meeting. [146, 31 Oct 1960]
In November it was noted that the first meeting would be held shortly. [148, 28 Nov 1960]
The new scheme came into effect on 14 Dec 1960, but the PC minutes do not record when the first Village Hall meeting was held. Nor do they say anything about allocation of funds from the Feast to the Village Hall.
In Jan 1961 PC granted the Trustees £250 to construct a car park at the front of the hall. [150]
At the Annual Parish meeting held in the Village Hall (first reference to Village Hall instead of Technical Institute) [154, 27 March 1961] it was suggested that a news sheet be distributed for the benefit of new parishioners. It was suggested that the Village Hall committee might be a better organisation to sponsor it rather than the PC!!
In 1990 the PC made another attempt to “take over” the Village Hall.
Note 1
National Council of Social Service (NCSS). NCSS was established in 1919 in order to bring various voluntary bodies together and into closer relationships with government departments. Its foundation was made possible through a legacy from Edward Vivian Birchall, who had played a large part in the emergent voluntary sector before he was killed, aged 32, in France during the First World War. On 1 April 1980, just over 60 years since its foundation, the National Council of Social Service became the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.
Note 2
In the same period there was reference to the proposed footpath past the Technical Institute, awaiting agreement from Ministry of Education. [111 23 Feb]. Progress was made [117 25 May] and the Youth Club Hut was to be separated from the Technical Institute with a fence. By September [125] satisfactory progress had been made with the footpath to Orchard Way (presumed the same footpath) but cycle barriers were needed at each end. End of next year [148, 28 Nov 1960] a schedule of Rights of Way was received from the county council which omitted the path by the Technical Institute. Later, enquiries were made about providing a street light for the path.
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