The Village Hall was built by Mrs. Anna Harvey in memory of her husband Richard who was Vicar of Sarisbury. For many years,
it was the only hall in the village so most of the important functions such as wedding receptions were held there. The one below
shows the reception of the parents of one of the founder members of the Friends. Why the wedding was delayed for two years is
an Interesting story in itself. In its time the Hall has housed the library, Saturday cinema shows, the District Nurse, a canteen
provided for soldiers by the WI, the Tug-of-war team, dances to the music of Billy Bolting and his Band, in fact any activity you
can think of. We now have quite a collection of photographs and also stories which have been put into a booklet. If you are
interested in the history of the Hall, we will be very pleased to tell you what we know and show you our archives.
In 1998 the Hall was threatened with closure by the Environmental Health Department of the Borough Council. Too many
people loved the Hall to let that happen so the Friends of Bursledon Village Hall formed and began fundraising. In 2000, to our
great joy we found that our Lottery bid had been successful. (It was not as easy as it sounds. It was a great deal of hard work.)
In Spring 2001, the refurbishment began and in Autumn 2001 we moved back. We had improved the best bits and replaced the
tatty bits. Now we have a Hall which has retained all its character, but has all the facilities demanded In the 21st Century.
people loved the Hall to let that happen so the Friends of Bursledon Village Hall formed and began fundraising. In 2000, to our
great joy we found that our Lottery bid had been successful. (It was not as easy as it sounds. It was a great deal of hard work.)
In Spring 2001, the refurbishment began and in Autumn 2001 we moved back. We had improved the best bits and replaced the
tatty bits. Now we have a Hall which has retained all its character, but has all the facilities demanded In the 21st Century.
The Friends of Bursledon Village Hall
The Friends were formed originally to raise funds to refurbish the Hall. It
proved very successful and was supplemented by a grant of £285,000 from the
National Lottery. We thought our work was over, But building costs went up
and we found we still needed many more thousands. In fact, some of the work
we planned has yet to be financed although it would take an expert eye to spot
the gaps! As well as raising money, we found we enjoyed working together as
a team. We continue to put on a programme of events including dinner dances,
jazz nights and professional entertainments, publish a regular newsletter, run
a 100 Club, produce a calendar and anything else which might turn an honest
penny. We are very good at catering, so food often takes a prominent part.
We are always happy to welcome new people to our events and if we can
interest them in helping us to organise our various activities, then that is
even better.
There is never any need to be bored in Bursledon.
The Friends were formed originally to raise funds to refurbish the Hall. It
proved very successful and was supplemented by a grant of £285,000 from the
National Lottery. We thought our work was over, But building costs went up
and we found we still needed many more thousands. In fact, some of the work
we planned has yet to be financed although it would take an expert eye to spot
the gaps! As well as raising money, we found we enjoyed working together as
a team. We continue to put on a programme of events including dinner dances,
jazz nights and professional entertainments, publish a regular newsletter, run
a 100 Club, produce a calendar and anything else which might turn an honest
penny. We are very good at catering, so food often takes a prominent part.
We are always happy to welcome new people to our events and if we can
interest them in helping us to organise our various activities, then that is
even better.
There is never any need to be bored in Bursledon.
A wedding photograph taken outside the Hall in 1924
