I’m not sure I’ve ever sung Happy Birthday to a building before. Something caught in my throat – and looking round at my fellow villagers, I could see I wasn’t the only one. Our village hall is a hundred years old – one of many around the country sharing a surprisingly radical, rural centenary around this decade.
After the first world war, the newly formed National Council of Social Service set up a village halls department, and communities rallied behind a desire to provide lasting memorials with practical, educational, joyful purpose. Their aim was to bring scattered, shattered rural communities together. They were particularly important for women, who were unwelcome in pubs and often had family to care for.
