A village hall is a public building in a rural or suburban community which functions as a community centre without a religious affiliation.
In the United Kingdom, a village hall is a building which is owned by a local government council or independent trustees, and is run for the benefit of the local community. It is estimated that there are over 10,000 such village halls. [1] Most were built in the first decade after World War I (1919-1929) as part of a programme led by the newly-formed National Council of Social Service. [2]
Such a hall is typically used for a variety of public and private functions, such as:
Village halls are generally run by committees, and if not already part of a local government body such as a parish council, then such committees are eligible for charitable status. [3] They may have other names such as a Village Institute or Memorial Hall. In some localities a church hall or community centre provides similar functions.
Typically the hall will contain at least one large room, which may have a stage at one end for drama productions. There is often a kitchen for preparing food and toilets to one side. Larger halls may incorporate further smaller rooms to allow multiple simultaneous activities. [4]
The word neuadd (IPA: /'neiæð/) is used to refer to village halls in Welsh-speaking parts of Wales, as in Neuadd Dyfi, the village hall in Aberdyfi. [5]
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a town hall or city hall.
A parish council is a civil local authority found in England, which is the lowest tier of local government. They are elected corporate bodies, with variable tax raising powers, and they carry out beneficial public activities in geographical areas known as civil parishes. There are about 10,480 parish and town councils in England. Parish councils may be known by different styles, they may resolve to call themselves a town council, village council, community council, neighbourhood council, or if the parish has city status, it may call itself a city council. However their powers and duties are the same whatever name they carry.
Hitchin is a market town in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England.
Montgomeryshire is one of thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It is named after its county town, Montgomery, which in turn is named after one of William the Conqueror's main counsellors, Roger de Montgomerie, who was the 1st Earl of Shrewsbury.
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, which for centuries were the principal unit of secular and religious administration in most of England and Wales. Civil and religious parishes were formally split into two types in the 19th century and are now entirely separate. Civil parishes in their modern form came into being through the Local Government Act 1894, which established elected parish councils to take on the secular functions of the parish vestry.
Chorleywood is both a village and a civil parish in the Three Rivers District, Hertfordshire, on the border with Buckinghamshire, approximately 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Charing Cross. The village is adjacent to the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is part of the London commuter belt included in the government-defined Greater London Urban Area. Chorleywood was historically part of the parish of Rickmansworth, becoming a separate ecclesiastical parish in 1845 and a separate civil parish in 1898. The population of the parish was 11,286 at the 2011 census.
Hoo St Werburgh, commonly known as Hoo, is a large village and civil parish in the Medway district of Kent, England. It is one of several villages on the Hoo Peninsula to bear the name Hoo, a Saxon word believed to mean "spur of land" or to refer to the "distinct heel-shape of the ridge of hills" through the settlement. Hoo features in Domesday Book, and had a population of 7,356 at the 2001 census, rising to 8,945 at the 2011 census. The civil parish includes Chattenden to the west.
Stocksfield is a small commuter village situated close to the River Tyne, about 14 miles (23 km) west of Newcastle upon Tyne in the southern part of Northumberland, England. There are several smaller communities within the parish of Stocksfield, including Branch End, New Ridley, Broomley, Hindley and the Painshawfield Estate. Other villages in Stocksfield's postal district include Bywell, Newton, Mickley, and Hedley on the Hill.
A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies, which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquially as the "vestry". At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spent nearly one-fifth of the budget of the British government. They were stripped of their secular functions in 1894 and were abolished in 1921.
Bishop's Hull is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, in the western suburbs of Taunton. It includes the areas of Rumwell, Rumwell Park, Roughmoor and Longaller and is close to the River Tone. The parish, which includes the hamlet of Netherclay, has a population of 2,975 in total.
Tickenham is a village and civil parish near Clevedon and Nailsea in North Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 910. It has a primary school, a village hall and a garden centre, but no shops, although it formerly had a post office.
Wiveliscombe is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated 9 miles (14 km) west of Taunton. The town has a population of 2,893. The Square, fronted by several listed structures, held the former market. The parish includes the nearby hamlet of Maundown.
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural council, village council, or board of aldermen.
Tregynon is a small village and community in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales, to the north of Newtown and south west of Welshpool. The population of the community was 892 at the 2011 Census. It rests on the B4389 road which runs from Bettws Cedewain to New Mills. The country house Gregynog is nearby.
Burrington is a small village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated in the unitary authority of North Somerset, 5 miles (8.0 km) north east of Axbridge and about 10 miles (16 km) east of Weston-super-Mare. The parish includes the hamlets of Bourne and Rickford and has a population of 464.
Southstoke is a small village and civil parish in north east Somerset, England. In 2004 the parish council requested that the name be formally changed to South Stoke, as "this is historically the more established spelling and better reflects the origin and meaning of the Parish name."
Hinton Charterhouse is a small village and civil parish in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, Somerset, England. The parish, which includes the village of Midford, has a population of 515.
Wembdon is a semi-rural village near Bridgwater, in Somerset, England.
Sparkford is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. The parish includes the village of Weston Bampfylde.
Fulstow is a marsh village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated 6 miles (10 km) north of Louth and 8 miles (13 km) south of Grimsby.