Campaign to save Ewell Village’s Glyn Hall
Tucked away in the heart of Ewell Village is Glyn Hall, a not-for-profit community space providing a venue for local organisations, including those linked to the arts, music and education. Glyn Hall also caters for social gatherings, society meetings, birthday parties and exercise classes for all generations. Located at 3a Cheam Road in Ewell Village, Glyn Hall has served the local community for over a century.
The precise age of Glyn Hall is not known but it is thought to have been built between 1866 and 1894. Archived records show that during this time Sir Arthur Glyn had a small wooden building built for his daughter, Margaret Henrietta Glyn to practice playing her music in and it is thought that this building was the original to the little green hut that now stands at 3a Cheam Road.
Margaret Henrietta Glyn, the last member of Ewell’s Glyn dynasty and a champion of conservation of the local area’s heritage, bequeathed Glyn Hall, which had been used by the Adult Education movement since the 1920s to the people of Ewell Village just before she died in 1946.
Mike Ralph, a retired blacksmith from Ewell Village knows Glyn Hall well and has commented as follows:
‘My parents and grandparents were very involved with The Adult School at Glyn Hall until the 1960s. They held social events such as beetle-drives and whist-drives. My father would give talks about blacksmithing and his great passion, astrology. The family also arranged for other speakers to present at The Adult School.’
Lovingly looked after by volunteers, Glyn Hall has played a key role in local life ever since it was generously gifted to the village, but despite the best endeavours of the volunteers, the building has now sadly reached the end of its long life.
Determined to stop the hall being sold to developers and the space irretrievably lost, a new group of volunteers has stepped in to save the much-loved community hub that is as original and independent as the area it serves.
Unlike other halls in the area, Glyn Hall is not a religious or a commercial enterprise, but a community hall available 365 days of the year for members of the community to use and enjoy for a minimal fee.
Despite the age-related problems with the current structure, Glyn Hall is now set for an exciting new chapter, as preparations are made to replace the original structure with a modern, sustainable and fit-for-purpose design that is built for the future, whilst respectfully honouring the past. Boasting a large hall, kitchen facilities and meeting space, the new not-for-profit venue will provide the backdrop for a range of local gatherings – from social clubs and society meetings to exercise classes and birthday parties.
Having worked tirelessly to secure planning permission and with £90k in funding already in the bank, the volunteer trustees must now raise a further £300k to construct the new hall and are appealing to the public for donations.
Every donation received by the volunteers overseeing the project takes them one step closer to realising their dream of creating a space where the community can meet and make memories for generations to come. The names of financial donors will be displayed inside the new building unless they wish to remain anonymous.
Margaret Glyn left a precious gift to the people of Ewell that the volunteers are working hard to replace in a way that she would have approved of. The volunteers believe that there is a duty to protect the space occupied by Glyn Hall, thereby retaining its place at the heart of the community and extending its legacy for the future.
To find out more about the history, project and fundraising, please visit www.glynhallewell.co.uk.
Ewell Village Hall Registered Charity No: 305031
