Opening of New Hall at Harpham – Perseverance Rewarded

Driffield Times, 25th November 1933

Two villages on Friday joined in what was a triumphant ending to a scheme which has taken years of hard work to complete.  The climax to many social events and months of planning came when Mrs Cuthbert Dawnay, Heslerton Hall, on Friday officially opened the newly erected village hall at Harpham.

For many years Harpham has been handicapped by the absence of a suitable village institute, and Lowthorpe has been bereft of even a schoolroom for its social events.  Whist drives and dances have been held in a railway warehouse at the latter village, but by the completion recently of the new hall at Harpham both villages will share in the privileges provided by the scheme brought to successful issue by the Harpham and Lowthorpe Village Hall committee.

The land for this venture was presented by Mrs W.H. St. Quintin, and by a series of events, spreading over five years, the committee succeeded in raising sufficient funds for the building.  Opposite the schoolroom, it is a pleasant looking building of red brick, offering comfort and facilities unknown in the case of the school building.  At the present time it is lighted by oil lamps, but when the electrical system is extended to the area, the village hall will be one of the first buildings to be lighted by the new system.

At the opening ceremony on Friday afternoon scores of inhabitants of both villages shared in the reflected glory of the achievement, and the event was a red-letter day in the history of Harpham and Lowthorpe.

Mr. J.B. Robinson, chairman of the Village Hall Committee, who presided, explained the formation of the committee in 1928 to develop the idea of a village hall.  The amount they set out to raise was £500, but due to generous support, both from in and outside the village, the sum in hand at present was £815.  Directly or indirectly the Women’s Institute had raised approximately £300.

The late Mr. St. Quintin gave a donation of £50 to start the fund and afterwards £5 at one of the bazaars.  Mrs Shaw, of Kirby Moorside, gave £20 at different times, and with the addition of a few small donations all the remainder has been raised by local effort.  In addition, the Carnegie Trustees gave a donation of £125 and the National Council of Social Services granted a loan of £125, repayable in five years.  The amount due to contractors was £750 and as other work remained to be done, which he estimated would cost about £80, their total liabilities would be about £830.  Taking into account the £15 still required and the loan of £125 the committee required £140 before the hall could be free from liability.

Mrs Cuthbert Dawnay, who performed the opening ceremony, congratulated the two villages on five years of patient endeavour.  She said she felt sure the hall would not only be a boon to them, but also of ever-increasing usefulness to future generations.  Miss Florence Tindall presented a bouquet to Mrs Dawnay.

A vote of thanks to Mrs Dawnay was proposed by Mrs St. Quintin and seconded by Mr F K Hawes.  The opening ceremony finished with a vote of thanks to the Chairman, proposed by Mrs. W. Burdass and seconded by Mr F Ward.The following ladies and gentlemen were on the platform:  Mrs St. Quintin, Scampston Hall; Mrs. and Miss L’Estrange Malone Malton; Mrs Hawes and Mrs W. Burdass, vice-presidents of the Woman’s Institute; Canon Wrangham, Rector of Burton Agnes, representing the Church; Mr F.W. Thompson, representing the chapel; Miss Goodson, treasurer, and Mrs G Fisher, secretary of the Woman’s Institute; Mr F Ward treasurer of the Village Hall Fund;  Mr W Rounding, secretary of the Village Hall Fund ;  Mr F. K. Hawes, architect of the Village Hall, who had given his services gratis.

Amongst others present were Mrs and Miss Wright, Bessingby Hall; the Rev. G.H. and Mrs Cobham, Beeford; the Rev. A. and Mrs Earle, Wansford; the Rev. J.S. and Mrs Fowle, Barmston; the Rev. W.B. and Mrs Crankshaw, Kilham; Major and Lady Aurea Macleod, Mrs Proctor, Beverley; Mrs Clements, Middleton-on-the-Wolds; Mrs. Thomas, Driffield; Miss Radford, Bridlington; Miss Richardson, Bridlington; Mr H.J. Parker, Bridlington; Mrs John Burdass and the Misses Burdass, Dotterhill Park;  Mr and Mrs Redman, Driffield;  Mrs. G.W. Smith, Driffield;  Mrs. W.L. Wright, Nafferton Wold;  Mrs A Shipley, Burton, Agnes; Mrs F. Winter and Miss A Winter, Thornholme; Mrs. Prew, Scarborough; the Misses Jefferson, Nafferton; and many others.  The bazaar which followed was got up by the Women’s Institute and the following were the stallholders:

In the evening there was a Whist and bridge drive and a dance with Lee’s Orchestra at all of which there was crowded attendances.  The whole day was a great success and the gross receipts amounted to nearly £100.