Village Hall History

A brief history of Nicholforest Village Hall

Pamela Forrester told us that entertainment in Nicholforest in days gone by was many and varied. Until the 1960's, dances were held at Scuggate in a wooden hut known as "The Border Hall". Jack Ratchford did the catering and Arthur Faulder with his gramophone supplied the music. Jack Lawson remembers how they ‘acquired’ the Scuggate hut. It was, he thinks, a ‘prisoner-of-war-hut’, certainly something to do with the army and his father helped lead it here, from Gretna by horse and cart. It was used as a community hut for whist drives and dances.
  Over 100 years ago, Nicholforest had a Dancing Master called Mr Morrison, according to Pamela. He was a strict disciplinarian who supervised the local dances. He would stand in the centre of the hall with a cane in his hand, and anyone who misbehaved or stepped out of line, was tapped smartly with the cane!
  Eventually, a wooden hut was built, on the site of our present-day Village Hall. This hut was a popular meeting place amongst locals and it was used regularly. In the summer, there would be Sports Days, Fancy Dress competitions, Bowls etc.

This next photograph, supplied by Jack Lawson, is of his wedding supper. This was held in the Village Hall and it was the last big supper before the hall was destroyed by a fire.