Pickmere Village Hall – Brief history

Pickmere Village Hall – Brief history

Like many other village halls, ours started as an Infants School on land donated by Tabley Estate and a building was erected for the sum of £200, even considered good value in 1860 when it was opened with 400 attendees! As a school it had a relatively short life, closing in the early 20th Century, when its remaining 9 pupils transferred to Great Budworth and Tabley. As a ‘mission post’ managed by 4 worthies chosen by the Tabley Estate and Vicar of Great Budworth, it was used as an outreach from Great Budworth Church and went through many iterations. It was subsequently used variously as the meeting place for the WI who used it to knit socks for serving soldiers during wartime, as a Home Guard station during WW1 and then the centre for separate male and female youth clubs, as a village playhouse for amateur dramatics and as a gym for boxing training.

Pickmere Parish Council was formed in 1947 and from this period the building was known as ‘Pickmere Institute’ and was maintained on a shoestring budget by volunteers, who added a stage, distempered the walls and dug drains. A modest extension was added in the 1990’s to provide a kitchen and upgraded toilets and the building was bought for a token payment from the PCC at Great Budworth Church by the Parish Council and is now known as Pickmere Village Hall. It has been used variously over the last 30 years as a rehearsal room for a brass band, and other musicians, by Pickmere WI, two art clubs, a photographic club, a wine club, for use for Zumba classes and a table tennis group, for the carrying out of local elections, and as the meeting place for the Parish Council, and for varied meetings and consultations. Although showing its age and limited in scope for use and development, it remains a heritage building in the village and a facility that has been used in many ways for over 160 years.