Mudeford residents celebrate 50 years of Stanpit Village Hall

Stanpit Village Hall in Mudeford hosted a day of celebrations on Monday to mark the past 50 years of the beloved building.

Ravaged by fire in 1960, local residents held coffee mornings, jumble sales and whist drives to raise enough money to rebuild their hall, which was designed by Ronald Sims and opened in April 1962.

And despite being 50 years old, one thing that hasn’t aged is the magnificent views from the rear meeting rooms stretching out across the harbour.

There has been a village hall on site since 1887, opened to commemorate Queen Victoria’s jubilee by General Evan Maberly and his wife Laura Charlotte.

Known as the Mission Room, it was used for religious, educational, musical and political purposes, but sadly in 1948, suffered a fire and was replaced with a prefabricated room.

During the Second World War, the hall was used as a canteen and recreation room for troops billeted nearby.

John Batchelor, chairman of the hall’s committee, said: “It’s got such a rich history, Stanpit Village Hall, and we just wanted to celebrate that.

“We would love for the community to be more involved.

“There is already such a variety of people who use the hall.

“From the old and young, SAMRA (Stanpit and Mudeford Residents Association), Homewatch, dancing groups, flower groups, language classes, wood turning.

“We’ve got pretty much everything.”

A committee of 14 members have dedicated themselves to running the hall.

John added: “I’ve got one of the most fantastic committees I could have hoped for running the hall.

“And after our refurbishment where we repainted and rewired the whole building, we’re now fit for the 21st century.”

Committee member Paul Rogers said the day had gone well.

“It’s about getting people to belong to the local community and to support the village hall and other groups, it’s about getting people to talk to each other rather than just sitting in front of the TV,” he said.