Memories of the Parish Hall on Eign Road - a thriving hub

6/2/2021

Do any of you have any memories or pictures of the old Parish Hall that used to be on Eign Road?
Looking back, the Hall had played a key role in the local community. From puppy training to jumble sales, St James’ Parish Hall on Eign Road was once a thriving hub of activities.

Faith Ford recalls: “Our elder daughter attended a fantastic nursery/playgroup run by Mrs Stafford there in the mid 1970s and later another good play school; Rainbows, was run from there. It was refurbished in the 1980s, when the Hall was home to junior and senior youth clubs with activities like table tennis, iceskating trips, and holiday clubs run by Rev George Fleming - cheap to attend, with fancy dress competitions and trips included!
Faith also remembers: “Both school and church hosted social events there with pantos and shows while Mrs Charles from Park Street ran ballet classes. I recall Park Street’s Margaret Butcher, in the role of Maria, singing with children to a Sound of Music song while George Fleming did a comedy drag act in the same show! “
The St James Parish Hall was, controversially, sold for development by the Church in the early 1990s. Later the old Vicarage was converted to a community centre by the RVS in 2005, but sadly this is now closed.

Please send us any of your memories. Just click on 'Comments' below, to open the link.

7 Comments

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We'll be posting stories and snippets of information here as they come in. We've organised it as a blog so that you can easily see stay up to date with the latest discussions and add your own information or comments. If you have a relevant photo or document, please email these to us on web@bartonshamhistory.org.uk thanks.

GeorgeHill

6/2/2021 06:13:31 pm

Reference Saint James Parish Hall Eign Road. I had tap and ballroom dancing lessons there in the mid 50's from Pam Charles, (who then was Pam Davies). We had dances on a Saturday evening which were run by Pam. I was also a Sunday school teacher there in the late 50's.

Chris Ruffe

6/2/2021 06:36:41 pm

The 1st Hereford (St James) - latterly YMCA were reformed in 1977 by me & my dad Chris ‘Nunc’ Ruffe & we met at the hall for many years until Scouts Corner was refurbished! Rev Chris Barnes & Rev Charles Strong blessed our flags on the occasion! I also performed in a Pam Charles concert, playing on the piano! Happy days!

Sharon Pugh

6/2/2021 07:02:00 pm

My sons went to the nursery school in the 70s and I remember looking for bargains at the jumble sales - happy days 🙂

Sue Cane (nee Davies)

6/2/2021 10:46:55 pm

My first memory of the Parish Hall is walking there on Sunday afternoons in the 1950s to go to Sunday school. There was an old iron stove that inadequately heated the place, and it was often chilly. We sat in sideways rows (i.e. at right angles to the stage), facing the windows, squinting against the sun, on hard, wooden, fold-up chairs. They would pinch our fingers if we weren’t careful as we folded them away! Bible stories were read to us and we collected stickers for good attendance and memorizing verses.

Jumble sales were often held in the Parish Hall in aid of charity – or maybe in aid of the church itself. Trestle tables were set out in a square. Clothing was sorted for men, ladies and children, piled in a higgledy-piggledy pile. The fun was in diving in (in spite of lingering body odours) and finding a bargain just right for you. There were also tables for boots and shoes, and a “white elephant” table for knick-knacks. The parish ladies prepared tea by the urn-full in what felt like a huge industrial kitchen, and they served it in the hall in boring, serviceable, pale-green cups and saucers. Or am I remembering pale-green paint everywhere?

I remember once playing a piano solo “Golliwog Cake Walk”, by Debussy, in a recital put on by Pam Charles (was Davies – no relation) for her ballet and music students. I could sense the audience enjoyed the first part because they knew the tune, but they didn’t know the middle, introspective bit, with strange timing, and got restless. It was all a bit too modern, maybe. I didn’t take the criticism personally, and blamed it on poor composition. I also accompanied some of the ballet students. I remember a Christopher Ruffe who lived a little way down St. Guthlac Street from our house at the corner of Kyrle Street and St. Guthlac Street. If this is the same person, I didn’t know they played the piano in Pam’s studio too.

There were also parish Christmas parties with “musical chairs” and dances. All the chairs were pushed to the side of the room to make way for the dancers in the middle. Raffles were sometimes held at these events, which brought up the discussion as to whether this was really appropriate for a church event – or was it gambling with the Devil? That’s what my childish mind understood. And then there was the whole question of whether the winning ticket should be drawn first or last. Thanks for the memories!

mike baldwin

15/2/2021 04:28:36 pm

I remember the parish hall well as when the Reverend Holmer was the parish curate back in the sixties, we used to have a youth club there and each week I carried my Bush record player from my home in St James Terrace to play my records for us to dance to.. We also held Covenanter meetings there a male religious youth group introduced by the curate. Sunday school was also held in the hall and I remember Mrs Tomkins who played the piano and was one of the teachers. She lived next to the shop which was beside the hall ( Blossetts ). I believe Mrs Tomkins son Eric had been a player for Hereford United . I remember performing in a play on the hall stage and taking part in a quiz against a youth team from St. Peter's Church which we lost. I was told off by Reverend. Holmer as I was late arriving to take part as I had stayed in to watch The Beatles at Shay Stadium on TV. As members of the youth group we all got into trouble with him as one of us would hide under the stage at the end of the evening, and after the curate had closed up the building and was making his way home whoever was in hiding would open the door from the inside and let us all back in again.
Sunday school Christmas parties were held in the hall, and years later when I was an advisory teacher for Traveller children in Herefordshire, the local Traveller Support Group held a Christmas party for local Traveller children there.

Louise rogers

12/11/2022 06:30:02 pm

I went to nursery here in the early 1970’s run by mrs Stafford. I then attended st James’s infant school and I remember coming here. When I was older I attended the youth club. I remember hazel Bettam and Neil mansell being youth club leaders though maybe not at the same time. It was sad to see this place go as I have great times there and good memories.

Sarah Franklin link

29/11/2022 08:40:02 pm

I have fond memories of the parish hall from my childhood. I'd go to junior youth club there while my older brothers were able to go to 'senior' youth club. My friends and I used to climb on the walls outside which were quite high, and the metallic structure on top of them which was not officially a climbing frame but we all used it as such, while waiting to be picked up from Brownies, or when we got restless at the jumble sales or bazaars that used to be held there. I was one of the children who took part in the pantomime there in 1987 (I think it was) in which my mum, Margaret Butcher, played the Fairy Godmother. I was also one of the children who sang songs from the Sound of Music in which mum played Maria, which Faith referred to in her comment, and I remember it well. Being at St James' school and also the church, we used to spend a lot of time at the parish hall taking part in activities, and I have very fond memories of it during the late 70s and 80s. I remember thinking what a shame it was when it got demolished.

Memories of the Parish Hall on Eign Road - a thriving hub

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