Silsoe Village Hall was built in 1926 by John Murray who lived in the Mansion at Wrest Park (Lord Lucas, the previous owner having been killed in the war). Mr Murray is believed to have been a whisky distiller and would return to Scotland each year for the grouse shooting.
The Hall, the outer walls of which were made of red painted corrugated iron, was used on two-three nights per week for film shows and at weekends for dancing. At the time the dance floor was reputed to be the best in the district. Lighting was by gas, which came from two gasometers at the rear of the Hall.
During the Second World War, soldiers were billeted in the Hall and to show their appreciation for the hospitality shown to them by the people of Silsoe they presented an engraved shield to the Village. At the presentation ceremony the Officer in Charge said that he hoped that the shield would stay on the wall in the Hall for as long as the Hall remained. Unfortunately, the shield had to be removed and put into safe keeping for many years, but is now sits proudly in the village Church.
In 1946, Mr Murray, who then lived at Coles Park, Buntingford, sold the Hall to the village for the sum of £1,800.00. The Carnegie Trust made a 50% grant on the condition that the village found the remainder. This they did at the rate of £100.00 per year. There were eight Trustees all from the village.
By 1963 the corrugated iron cladding had become badly rusted with many holes, which allowed water to penetrate to the timber framing within. There were insufficient funds available to add a brick skin and the cheaper alternative had to be adopted, i.e. removing the corrugated iron and applying rendering to metal lath fixed to the existing battens.
Five years later, in 1968 the Charity Commission, under Section 18 of the Charities Act 1960, become Official Custodians of the Hall to be administered by a Management Committee comprising six elected members; up to four co-opted members and one representative from each of the organisations in the village. The Act states that “The object of the Foundation shall be the provision and maintenance of a Village Hall for the use of the inhabitants of the Parish of Silsoe, and the neighbourhood without distinction of political, religious and other opinions, including use for meetings, lectures and classes and for other forms of recreation and leisure time occupation with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants”
In the early 1970’s the Committee Room was added and in 1976 the stage was widened to the full width of the Hall.
The Parish Council commissioned a structural report of the Hall in 1980 which detailed many faults requiring attention. After a considerable amount of work by various committees over 8 years tenders were sought in 1988 and the work commenced to bring the Village Hall up to standard. The work was completed in 1989 at a cost of approximately £189,000.00, the funds mainly obtained from grants and a loan obtained for the hall by the Parish Council.
Fund raising is still needed in order to maintain & improve the Hall during the year.