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Rhodes Memorial Hall
Brockhampton
(charity no 301476)
Information on this page is subject to the general disclaimer
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Hall Diary
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You can see all bookings in the hall in the village diary page.
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Information
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Col. Fairfax Rhodes left this community a wonderful legacy, and as intended, it
is there today providing accessible leisure and recreational facilities
for us all.
The Rhodes Memorial Hall (in memory of his son killed in the Boer War) caters for a wide variety of local interests and
is the regular venue for many of the local clubs & societies.
Then there are Jumble Sales, Exhibitions, Lectures etc. It may also be hired for private parties.
There are two rooms, the Main Hall and the Reading
Room (the smaller of the two), which may be hired separately or
together for larger functions. There is a modern fitted
kitchen and a small car park at the rear of the building. 70
people can easily be accommodated.
If you are catering for a party at home, there is a very reasonable
hire service of china, cutlery, glasses and other kitchen equipment.
The location of the hall can be found on this link.
If you would like further information on the availability of these
services please 01242 820423.
The Management Committee currently consists of three
elected members (Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary), eight
representatives, one from each of the local organisations who regularly
use the Hall, and one other co-opted member. However, members of
the Management Committee are first and foremost charity trustees and
trusteeship carries legal responsibilities and duties. They are
responsible for administering both the Hall and its investment property
in accordance with the provisions set out in the 1968 Scheme of the
Commissions. It is their duty and responsibility to act in the
best interests of the Charity after having taken professional advice
(where appropriate) and in adhering to the terms of Scheme which
regulates the Charity.
The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance, upkeep and
improvement of the Hall, Reading Room and adjoining Cottage and must
ensure that the full market value of the property is maintained.
This is a continual and sometimes expensive process and all work must
be carried to a high professional standard ensuring it complies with
current legislation on fire, health and safety etc. All
income is reinvested in the property and this funding is obtained from
hiring of the Hall and accessories, rent from the adjoining cottage,
and grants for special projects from local and national bodies.
Rental income is also received from the Post Office which for the past
few years has been located in one of the front lobbies of the Hall.
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Charges (from September 2008)
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Accredited Local Societies & Charities:-
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Reading Room
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£3.00 per hour
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Main Hall
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£4.00 per hour
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Other Users:-
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Reading Room
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£6.00 per hour
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Main Hall
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£8.00 per hour
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| | All users will be charged for an extra half an hour in addition to times booked, to allow for setting up and clearing away. Hall users are reminded that they are expected to remove all rubbish from the hall and vacuum the carpet before leaving |
Example charges for hiring cutlery, crockery etc for events outside the hall :-
cutlery - 2p per item, most plates etc - 10p per item, aluminium framed
tables (for inside use only) - £2.50 (small) £5.00 (large).
There will be a charge of up to £2 per item for breakages.
More information from 01242 820423 |
History
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| Information kindly supplied by Mrs Ros Stewart |
A School, of one single
room, was purpose built in 1868 for Mrs. Georgina Craven of
Brockhampton Park, to educate the children of her estate workers.
It closed when she died but was re-opened 7 years later in 1887 as a
Library by her husband Charles G.C. Craven. It became known as
the Reading Room when daily papers were introduced. It then
became a Club for men only to be known as the Brockhampton
Institute. Later women were allowed to join, but only allowed to
use it in the daytime.
Col. Fairfax Rhodes became the owner of Brockhampton Park and when his
only son John was killed in 1902 in the South African War, Col. Rhodes
extended the building by adding the Hall to the Reading Room, including
the white
pargetted plaque, to his son's memory. In 1909 Col. Rhodes added
the Cottage to accommodate the hall caretaker and his family, who
lived there rent-free. This arrangement continued until 1991 when
the then Hall Management Committee decided to dispense with the
services of a caretaker. The ex-caretaker became a tenant
and continued to live in the cottage paying a monthly rent until 1999.
The cottage is now let on a commercial basis and the rent greatly
benfits the hall's funds.
Col. Rhodes died in 1928 leaving the Parish Council as Trustees for the
Hall. When the Rhodes family sold their properties and left the
village in 1934, they left the Rhodes Hall and Reading Room to the
village under the guidance of the Parish Council as the Trustees.
In accordance with the will dated 18th. October 1917, a Foundation was
formed, its purpose being "the provision and maintenance of a village
hall for the use of the inhabitants of Brockhampton, Charlton Abbots
and Sevenhampton and the neighbourhood without distinction of
political, religious or other opinions, including use for meetings,
lectures and classes and for other forms of recreation and leisure-time
occupation with the object of improving the conditions of life for the
said inhabitants".
The Council decided at a meeting that in future the building would be
known as "the Rhodes Memorial Hall" and a committee was elected to manage
the Hall.
In 1968 a Scheme creating a Charity was made (Charity No. 301476) and
the members of the Management Committee became Trustees of this Charity
with ultimate responsibility for the administration and management of
the Hall. The Parish Council is a custodian trustee but has no
role as such in the charity's management.
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