February 2020 parish mag 2

suitable, and the owner, the village tailor Mr George Wainwright (also
for 40 years the church organist) indicated that he was willing to let
the premises at a peppercorn rent: one shilling a year.
A committee was formed and an enthusiastic labour force recruited,
and the top floor was made useable. (The Secretary / Treasurer was Mr
Herbert Porter.)
The Malt House had originally been used in the last century for malting
grain, presumably for the local pubs which at that time would brew
their own beer….…….. The building consisted of an upper floor and a
basement, and for the first few years the upper floor was the one used
for club premises, with a half size billiards table and table tennis
table……… ‘The Club’ became a very popular venue and it was decided
to take out the upper floor and give more height and room. Again, this
was carried out by the locals. When ‘The Club’ was used by the Dramatic
Society for its many successful productions the stage was formed
(courtesy of ‘The Yard’) by boarding carried on trestles fitted above the
billiard table! One very popular event was the club supper, always well
attended up to the outbreak of war.
No-one at the time had visualised the war was only a few years away,
and when it came the old Malt House was pressed into service right
away as a school room. Evacuees from Manchester arrived on the Friday
night before war was declared on the Sunday.
After the War, the school itself became unsafe [due to the Fauld
explosion], and the Malt House was again used for a while to house the
school children. It was not, however, considered fit by the Education
Authorities and there were growing doubts about its safety. The
children were moved to the former officers’ mess at the Camp at Silver
Lane, pending the construction of a new (the present) school.
Whist drives, film shows, ‘hops’ and drama productions all reestablished
themselves, like swallows returning to an old nest after the
winter has passed. But then the blow fell.”
So what was this ‘blow’ that fell after the War, and how did the village get
its present Hall? All will be revealed in next month’s Parish News!
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