Leire Village Hall

The Village Hall - originally the village school - is used as a meeting place by many local organisations and groups in the village and can be hired for private parties and other events.

Villagers can make bookings either through Mrs C. Harris at Ash House, Main Street or in the Village Hall diary available in the Post Office.

History of the Village Hall

The Village Hall was originally built in 1873 as a church school, known as St. Peter's.  It replaced an earlier National school, supported by the church, built on Frolesworth Road in 1814 in celebration of peace with France. This earlier school is now a private home.

St. Peter's School was run by a committee of managers, elected every 3 years, and supported by a group of Trustees. The Rector of the village was chairman of the Managers and members included representatives of the Trustees, the County Council and the Parish Council. Decisions about staffing, discipline, resources, maintenance and holidays were made by the Managers.

The school was built by William Smith, a local architect, and Tom Richardson at a cost of about £400 on land given by the Lady of the Manor, Countess Cowper. It included the schoolroom, a smaller room for the infants and a small playground which was divided for girls and boys. The toilets were outside, and the yard surrounded by a high brick wall.  Inside the school were high windows, wooden floors, desks and benches, plain walls and a coal (later oil, then coke) stove for heating.  Electric lighting was not installed until 1933.

And Now...

The school at Leire has always played a vital role in village life. Throughout its history, it has hosted local elections and Parish Council meetings.  Social events also took place and some village societies met in the school, for example the cricket club and the girls friendly group. A poultry show (1903) and jumble sale (1913) are reported, and the possibility of evening evening classes was discussed in 1904.

Leire children aged 5 - 11 years now go to nearby schools, but the change in role from school to village hall has meant that this building will remain a focus for village life in the years to come.