The Village Hall (click on an image to enlarge it)
The Hall is situated on the corner of Mill Lane and High Road
These wooden framed houses originally occupied the plot.
It is said that these were not simply demolished but were
dismantled for re-erection elsewhere
Circa 1900 - 1908This view, probably taken from the Church steeple, shows a
fresh looking ‘Old Village Hall’ that replaced the Houses.
Although a crude construction of prefabricated concrete
sections it provided years of service.
David Theobald, the blacksmith,
at work with the old Village Hall in the backgroundThe Old Hall in 1991
What no Hall!
The Old Hall had been demolished but the promise of a new hall
evaporated due to bankruptcy of the developers.
Thankfully Mike Tarbard backed by the
Horndon Society successfully
negotiated with the Council for a new Hall. Construction started in
1996. Here Brian Murray lays the blocks.Construction continues.
The opening ceremony in July 1997 with
Ruth Graves, representing the Village, and the then Mayor
of Thurrock (who I believe was) Merlyn Jones.
Later on, to celebrate the Millenium a Year 2000 Working Group was set up and
one of the enduring legacies was to commission a clock tower for the Village Hall.
Barry Wells and Dennis Wiggins
Carefully assemble the clock.The Hall in 2006