Oddfellows Hall, Wolston

 

Oddfellows Hall, Wolston

Image courtesy of Anne Langley

 

Village Hall, Wolston. 2015

Image courtesy of Anne Langley

 

Wolston Manor House.

Warwickshire County Record Office reference PH352/207/28

Wolston Village Hall stands in Main Street with a handsome inscription over the entrance ‘Loyal Equity Lodge ODDFELLOWS HALL A D 1890’. It was built of red brick to seat up to 400 people by a local Brandon builder.

Friendly Society

The Oddfellows was a kind of Friendly Society, whose members paid a small regular subscription. This provided insurance for those who fell on hard times. Members could also get tokens to pay for medical treatment from doctors and hospitals (in the days before free treatment from the NHS). People would club together and borrow tokens from family members and friends in order to pay for treatment. The Oddfellows even provided mortgages for members.¹ In 1911 there were 81 members of the Wolston Juvenile Oddfellows who had a ‘Sick and Funeral’ fund containing nearly £300 and a much smaller ‘Medical and Management’ fund. They had paid out £9 9s 6d for sickness during the previous year.² The secretary, Mr William Henry Baines, was also secretary of the nearby Brandon Club.

Whist Drive and dancing

The hall provided a social club with a large billiard table and it served refreshments. In January 1911 a whist drive and dance was organised by a committee of ladies on behalf of the local Boy Scouts. Thirty-three tables were filled for the whist drive, with prizes for men and women presented by Miss Hilda Wilcox of Wolston Manor House. The dancing continued untill 2 a.m.³

Before the First World War, celebrations were held as part of Wolston Wake. On the first Sunday in August, Oddfellows processed to the local church with a brass band and a banner; the adults wearing sashes. They held another parade on Monday around Wolston and Brandon before returning to their hall for a meal with speeches. Afterwards refreshments were served from a beer tent in the field behind the hall and villagers danced to the brass band.⁴

The hall today

Nowadays the hall is run by the Brandon and Wolston Village Hall Committee who recently erected a plaque to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. It provides a venue for village activities and contains an interesting old map of the village. Do let us know if you have memories of using the hall in days gone by.

References

¹ ‘Brandon, Bretford and Wolston 1911: before the Great War’ edited by Jeff Chatwin. Warwickshire County Record Office reference B WOL Cha (P) section 14 Pubs and Clubs.

² Rugby Advertiser March 11th 1911.

³ Rugby Advertiser February 4th 1911.

⁴ Tom Walton ‘Wolston Remembered’ 1970s p. 10.