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Austrey Village Hall
HISTORY
The Village Hall is an unlisted, single story brick building with a distinctive William and Mary style tiled roof to the original part of the building. The original building was constructed in 1850 as a Parochial Church School; that fact being recorded on an inscribed stone over what is now the main entrance. In the late 1960s, a new Church School was built in Austrey and the Village Hall site became redundant. On 30 May 2007 a group from the village established registered charity No 1119410 - Austrey Old School Hall Trust - with the objective of "maintaining and improving Austrey Village Hall for the benefit of the community". Since 2020 the Hall has been undergoing a major transformation that has introduced many new features.
FACILITIES
Public Rooms: The hall has a large public room, which measures 12.3m x 4.86m and has a small removable stage at one end and a bi-fold hatch leading to the bar/storeroom at the other. The room is well lit and heated by the newly installed heating system, which replaces the noisy fan-type radiators previously in place. The entire hall is now protected by a state of the art fire alarm system and self closing fire doors throughout, as well as 3 fire exits.
Kitchen: The hall also has newly installed kitchen area with ample stainless steel workspace a double oven cooker, two fridges (a third is available in the bar area), multiple kettles and water boilers, a microwave, a full set of cooking utensils, three heated hostess trolleys, a serving trolley and a commercial dishwasher capable of
washing an entire load in 2 minutes. There is also a substantial stock of crockery and glassware items in the kitchen cupboards. The kitchen has a large serving hatch that opens on to a buffet/ serving area equipped with tables and chairs. The hatch is part of the fire protection system and closes automatically in the event of a fire in the kitchen.
Crockery: The entrance foyer contains a number of white cupboards on its end wall. These contain crockery and cutlery which (subject to prior agreement) can be loaned to hirers free of charge, if required. There are numerous items, sufficient to provide a meal or buffet for 40 - 50 people.
Toilets: The main toilets are accessible via an un-heated internal corridor leading from the foyer. There are separate Ladies and Gents cubicles. The area is lit by motion sensor lights. In addition we have a fully accessible disabled toilet located adjacent to the kitchen foyer, which is reached from within the hall.
Seating: We have 85 upholstered dining chairs and a large number of plastic stacking chairs. We also have 9 large, folding tables that will each comfortably seat 6 (or 8 at a pinch) and 8 square tables that will each comfortably seat 4.
Audio Visual: The hall has a projector, a screen, a laptop (by prior agreement) and a flip chart board.
Accessibility: The hall sits on an elevated site and, since 2020, is approached by an accessible system of asphalt ramps that lead to the sill-less entry door. There is also and an accessible path that encircles the building. As previously mentioned we have an internal toilet that meets all current accessibility regulations. As a legacy feature there is also flight of 6 shallow steps with handrails, which run parallel to the ramps.
Safety: The hall has a fire alarm system and automatic fire shutters in the kitchen. There are fire extinguishers at appropriate sites in the hall and 3 fire exits, all with emergency exit lighting. The fire evacuation assembly point is on the verge opposite the hall.
Exterior: As of 2022 the hall has a new, level and accessible 14m x 5m courtyard comprising a mix of paving and astroturf, surrounded by a community garden. The area will be lit and exterior furniture will be available by end of 2022. The hall has general waste and green waste bins located by the right front fire door.
To hire the hall please contact Lynn Wynne on 01827 830716 or 07531 716281.
For other matters you can email us at: austreyvillagehall@btinternet.com
You can visit the Facebook page here.