Ardley With Fewcott Village Hall

Introduction

One of the best aspect of researching the history of our Playing Field & the Village facilities has been that a lot of this history is still in living memory. Ardley and its neighbouring hamlet Fewcott changed unrecognisably in the 1960-1970’s and the hall and the play area are very much part of this history. I am indebted to current & past residents who helped me with this research and donated photographs.

Pre 1960’s

The parish and village of Ardley was originally based around the church, along Station Road, Church & Somerton Road. It was in a field off Station Road where residents remember playing football & other ball games. At some point a Cricket team also played in a field near the Knob in Fewcott. This was a completely different parish, having its own church & graveyard. During the 20th century the two places had two churches, two school buildings, a shop, Post Office, a garage, and a railway station. It also boasted a cycle speedway track and riding stables! Without a village hall as such, older residents remember Jumble sales and whist drives being held in the “Old School” building on Fritwell Road before it became a private dwelling.

The Old School

1967 Onward

In 1967 land on Ardley Road, by the Crossroads alongside Station Road was purchased. Records show that:-

“The conveyance was made on 6 October 1967 between the Gibbard family, Fewcott and Ardley Parish Council (Custodian Trustees) at a price of £1,550.00. The land situated on Ardley Road, Fewcott and having a frontage to Ardley Road containing about 6.2 acres. The Property to be held in trust for the recreation ground for the benefit of the inhabitants of the parish of Ardley in such a manner as the Committee of Management from time to time think
fit.”

This gave both villages a dedicated space to use for recreation, as the number of residents was growing with new houses being built in both Ardley & Fewcott. To administer the new area, a Playing Field Committee was established with representatives of various village groups on the Committee. The aerial picture below was taken in the early 1970’s shows the playing field as it looked at its very early stages. Note the football pitch & if you look very carefully a cricket square. There was an active Cricket Club from the outset which lasted in one form or another until 2001, although the wooden Pavilion itself did not stand the test of time very well and was only being used for storage by the 1980’s.

Aerial Picture. Early 1970’s

Early Fete Pictures:-

Early 1970s

Initially the facilities at the Playing Field were very basic. There was a wooden “shiplap” hut on the left as you enter the field by the main access, which only had a sink & a basic cooker. Heating was provided by a two-bar electric fire! Eventually another breeze block building was built alongside the hut which provided changing rooms for the Football & Cricket clubs, and outside toilets for users of the village hut/meeting space. This was used for most village occasions; hosting meetings of the Parish Council, Playing Field Committee, Forget Me Not Club & regular Bingo sessions. Residents remember a Lunch Club using this hut providing the lunches with one stove! From the pictures we have found, Fetes of one kind or another were very popular. In the early days with limited inside space a variety of Army type tents/marquees were used & modern versions of these are still put to good use today.

Original shiplap Village hut

Cricket Pavilion

1980’s-1995

By the mid 1980’s it was decided that the hut and outside toilets had past their best and that the village would be better served by a newer building with up-to-date facilities. Built away from Ardley Road, this new brick built Village hall was located near where the old cricket pavilion once stood and included a small kitchen & sports changing rooms. It was built largely by volunteers and local tradesmen. (Today it would be called a “self build project”) It was funded using a combination of grants and fund raising events, and was a great Community effort using all the skills available locally. It cost £10,000 and was opened in 1992, a big improvement on the draughty hut!

Original Hall & Changing Rooms

General Layout – Not to scale.

With so many young children growing up in the village a Mother & Toddler Group was established and two years later with the aid of another grant, a metal Children’s Play area was added to the right of the new building. It consisted of a two swings, a metal slide a spring horse and a “merry-go round” roundabout.

The Millennium and beyond.

In the late 1990’s waste management operators began charging for their facilities and part of this income was directed to local communities. Ardley Tip had a provision made in their operating conditions for funds for Community projects, with Ardley with Fewcott as one of the beneficiaries. This lead to a large grant towards much improved facilities on the recreation field which made it possible to separate the community events from sport requirements; with a bigger village hall and better facilities for the Football Club. Funding also came from the National lottery, Football Association, local councils & other charitable sources. Together with local fund raising and contributions from individuals (including Richard Branson!), three quarters of a million pounds was raised for the two buildings that stand today. These facilities were available to use in 2004, a little later than hoped but on budget. The current Village Hall was officially opened in 2005 by Viridor Waste Management Company. The smaller meeting room in the new hall was called the Norman Fraser Suite, in recognition of Norman, who had chaired both the Parish Council and the Playing Field Committee during this period,

Subsequently with more fund raising by villagers, an extensive, modern children’s play area with wooden play equipment was created near to the entrance, where the original wooden hut
once stood. Finally a tarmac Car Park with lighting was added. The volunteers on the Playing Field Committee continue to work with representatives of local Clubs & organisations and aims to put on at least two free events for residents each year. It is interesting to note that bearing in mind the various amenities the community once had, the Village Hall, Playing fields and football club together with the White Lion Public House, are now the only facilities in Ardley with Fewcott.