The photo above was presented to the Hall by the family of Noel Kidd who lived next door in Charing Cross Cottage. It shows the old Hall and foundations of the new Hall in 1967. The first Village Hall was built on the site of the present Hall in the early twenties, by local labour, on land gifted to the Village by the Cecil Family. Two old ex-army huts from the First War were used, and the foundations consisted of heather hauled from Cranborne Common.
During the 1939-1945 War, the building was used by the local Home Guard and included a firing range, which was later incorporated and located at the rear of the present Hall; the building was also used as a dining hall and for dances by the troops stationed in the area
By 1957, the Management Committee considered that the expense of improving and repairing the premises was not justified, having regard to it’s age, and the state it was in. A fund to cover the cost of a new building was set up and by 1967 sufficient funds had been raised which allowed a start on the new building, and the foundation stone was laid on 14 August 1967. Donations were received from local people; the Drama Club; and proceeds from the annual “Steam Up” run by Ron Hood.
The Official Opening on 13 January 1968 was carried out by Robert Cecil, the present Lord Salisbury. He quoted the following words by his Grandfather who had first come to the village in 1902, and paid tribute to the people who had taken on the task of providing a hall of which everyone could be proud:- “The Hall is the Heart of the Place, where the Young and Old meet,and where the Pulse beats most strongly”. After the Ceremony, Mr Cecil was presented with a Scroll, by the late Mrs Jean Pattle, giving him the Freedom of the Hall, and, indeed he has been back on several occasions since then.