the shackleford centre
Godalming
Shackleford Village Hall started life as the Shackleford Institute, built in
1893 as ‘a private charitable club for the purposes of reading and recreation
for its members …’. The Hall was opened by Lord Midleton of Peper Harow, who
became its first president. The original brick-built Victorian building includes
an open vaulted hall, with a stage and ‘Green Room’ and catering facilities. The
building incorporates a self-contained cottage. In 1974 a Social Club was added
but in 1995 a fire destroyed part of the building. It was rebuilt maintaining
its Victorian features and with improved facilities. The main hall is named
Pilkington Hall after a long-serving president and benefactor. In the early
2000’s the Social Club and the Hall were being used less and less and in
particular the Social Club was no longer attracting sufficient interest to
justify the running costs. The Hall was in daytime use as Acorns Nursery, but
with minimal activity in the evenings and at weekends. In 2009, the constitution
was revised and modernised, and the members agreed to transfer the assets to a
newly formed charitable company limited by guarantee. The original objectives of
‘The improving of the conditions of life of the inhabitants of the Parish of
Shackleford…’ are preserved in the current Memorandum and Articles. At the same
time a decision was made to close the Social Club and relocate Acorns to the
refurbished area previously used by the Social Club. This had the dual advantage
of giving Acorns a dedicated space, allowing them to develop a permanent
setting, and freeing the Hall for daytime use by other groups. The nursery now
operates independently and the area occupied by the nursery is named the
Brigstocke Room, in recognition of services to Shackleford and the locality by
Sandy and Diana Brigstocke. The Cottage was also refurbished and established as
a separate entity to the Hall and is now rented independently of the rest of the
Centre. This restructuring of the constitution, and revised operation of the
Centre, generated sufficient income to begin improving the facilities leading to
more regular use of the Pilkington Hall, which is now widely used for a range of
activities and the Centre benefits from an active program of continuous
improvement. The Centre is in regular use by Acorns Nursery, St. Mary’s School,
various clubs and classes, and residents of the surrounding area. We welcome new
groups and look forward to seeing you. Quilting has been underway at the Hall
for many years as can be seen in the picture above. The quilters meet every
Friday and welcome new members. The Village Hall makes an excellent venue for
clubs, classes, presentations and meetings and has full catering facilities for
events of all kinds. Conveniently situated a few minutes off the A3 just south
of Guildford in the Surrey Hills, an area of outstanding natural beauty,
Shackleford Village Hall has all the charm of a traditional village hall but
with modern facilities providing a warm and comfortable venue for a wide range
of clubs, classes and events including Yoga, Pilates, Art Classes, Quilting and
more. The hall is located close to the parish church of St. Mary’s, with easy
access and ample parking.
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