Northumberland Archives is a heritage partner to a National Lottery Funded project, the ‘Northumberland Village Halls Heritage Project’. The project aims to celebrate the history of some of Northumberland’s Village Halls and ensure that records and memories are preserved for future generations. The project was developed by and is managed by Community Action Northumberland (CAN) whose mission is to benefit and help sustain rural communities in Northumberland.
Alison Cowen of Jubilee Hall, Newton on the Moor, has kindly written the following article after going through the old minute books before she deposited them at Northumberland Archives.
The first recorded minutes of the Trustees of the hall are dated 16 March 1961 when a new committee was formed by local residents. They make very interesting reading and give snapshot into village life and how much has altered, although the hall itself remains a constant feature.
In October 1961 as the world listened to Aker Bilks ‘Stranger on the shore’ there was a charge of one and six to view flower arrangements and to buy from a cake stall. Coffee and biscuits were included. In today’s money that would be £1.59p.
As the world mourned the death of JFK in November 1963 in Newton on the Moor you could have won some spectacular raffle prizes to cheer you up. How about a knitted baby jacket, a cuddly toy, chocolates or maybe 50 cigarettes? March 1964 saw the hall redecorated by Aln Painters. Perhaps they were listening to the new Radio Caroline. The ceiling was painted a fetching shade of blue at the cost of £48. After much debate Zephyr pink was chosen for the walls with the wood work being flake grey. The total bill for the work came in at £122 eight shillings and tuppence. This would be just short of £3,000 today.
To celebrate the end of the Harvest in October 1965 a Kirn Supper was held. A ten shilling ticket gave you a meal of ham, lettuce, egg and tomato, a bread bun with butter all washed down with a nice cup of tea. The sweet was a fruit mousse with the very new Birds Dream Topping, which had only come onto the market the previous year. A feast for only 50p.
Christmas was a very popular time in the village. In 1966 as the grown-ups sang along to Tom Jones and the ‘Green Green Grass of Home’, and Action Man made his debut in the toy shops local babies received a squeaky toy. If you were between two and five years old you were lucky enough to be given a large ball. Older children were given a named diary and pen. Everyone received an apple, orange and a bar of chocolate.
By 1979 a decision had been made that only children up to the age of seven would receive a present, although what that was to be isn’t recorded. The older children were to be given an apple and orange together with a 50p piece and a mixed bag of sweets. Perhaps they could have bought the latest Christmas single, ‘Another Brick in the Wall’!
I’m not sure what our local youngsters would make of such delights these days!
Of course in the next fifty years I’m sure our current monthly coffee mornings, regular Wine Tasting and Pipers events will raise a few eyebrows as the committee continues to look after the hall for many generations to come.