Worplesdon Memorial Hall

Worplesdon Memorial Hall and Sports Ground

An ideal venue for all kinds of social activities, public or private

To All Art Lovers!

The ideal Christmas gift - the Surrey Illustrated Art Catalogue published by the Public Art Foundation featuring oil paintings from galleries (many unheard of!) all around Surrey, including many from the Sidney Sime Gallery at Worplesdon Memorial Hall. The catalogue is beautifully presented in colour and a real bargain at £20. Please contact Mary Broughton on 01483 233869 or cimbroughton@aol.com for more information or if you wish to view the catalogue.

Don't forget you can always visit the Gallery by appointment with our Curator, Anne Philps, on 01483 232117. More than 90 people visited the Gallery over the Heritage weekend in September from all round Surrey! It is well worth a visit and the catalogue is on sale in the Gallery.

Worplesdon Memorial Hall is situated on Perry Hill, part of the main A322 road which runs through Worplesdon village in Surrey. It's about three miles north of the centre of Guildford and two miles from Worplesdon Station. The sports ground and caretaker's cottage are alongside the main hall.

With its central position in the village, easy access from Guildford and adequate parking, the hall is an ideal venue for all kinds of social activities, public or private, including weddings.

To see exactly where we are, click here for a map - we are marked by the red circle.

Our postal address is: Worplesdon Memorial Hall, Perry Hill, Worplesdon, Guildford, Surrey GU3 3RF.

The Hall

The main hall has a large room with a stage, suitable for badminton, drama and dance classes as well as meetings and parties. An ample stock of chairs and tables is available. There is a newly fitted kitchen and serving area as well as toilets and washing facilities.

There is also a small hall with access to the kitchen via the main hall, as well as two further committee rooms. These rooms cater for 10-20 persons with tea/coffee making facilities and are suitable for small classes or meetings.

All facilities are subject to regular health and safety checks.

There is access to the hall for the disabled, which is facilitated by the availability of parking next to the hall entrance. The toilets have disabled facilities and it is intended to install a loop hearing system when funds are available.

The main hall laid out to seat 120 guests for a charity Race Night event. The function included a sit-down hot meal, a bar in the adjacent smaller hall and a large screen on stage to show the eight races.

Children's Play Area

There are swings and a play area near the hall entrance leased to the Parish Council and maintained by them. The adjoining field is ideal for children to play on and the Worplesdon Pre-school Playgroup, which uses the hall in the mornings during term time, has an enclosed outdoor area where children can play safely.

The Sports Ground and Tennis Courts

The grounds adjoining the hall support many local sporting activities:

There is a long standing tradition of cricket - Worplesdon and Burpham Cricket Club can trace its formation back to 1890 and its Worplesdon predecessor first began to use the site in 1912.
Worpleson Phoenix Football Club, recently formed by the merger of Worplesdon FC and Woking Phoenix FC, plays regular league matches at weekends and occasional games during the week.
Worplesdon Tennis Club was formed in 1991 using the two existing public courts and has since added two more for Club use. A new Club House was opened in 2005. The Club has a thriving membership of adults and juniors - players of all abilities are welcome.
The two public tennis courts, which are owned by the Parish Council, are available to hire at £4.50 per hour (free to children under 16 years during state school holidays). To make a booking, please phone the caretaker, Mr Bernard Callanan, on 01483 232117.
Several badminton clubs rent the main hall during the day and some evenings.

A brand new SPORTS PAVILION serving the Cricket, Football and Tennis Clubs was opened in April 2008. Read more about this exciting new development here.

All clubs are delighted to welcome new members and enquiries can be made through the caretaker or via club web sites.

Sidney Sime Gallery

On the first floor of the Hall there is a small gallery devoted to the fascinating and highly characteristic work of Sidney Sime (1867-1941), the famous artist, illustrator and caricaturist. Sime owned a cottage at Worplesdon and spent much of his time here during the latter part of his life. At his death, he bequeathed much of his work to form the collection now on view. More about Sidney Sime and his work can be found here. Anyone wishing to view the collection should, in the first instance, contact the caretaker (see below).

Bookings

Hire charges are competitive and there are special concessions for residents of Worplesdon. Bookings are taken by the caretaker, Mr Bernard Callanan, who lives in the cottage alongside the Hall and is happy to provide any further information on request. He may be contacted on 01483 232117, by e-mail at worpmemhall@hotmail.com or by post at Memorial Hall Cottage, Perry Hill, Worplesdon, Guildford, Surrey GU3 3RF.

History

The Hall was built in 1922 in memory of the local men killed in World War 1. The land had been donated to Worplesdon Parish Council for this purpose by Sir James L Walker, a local landowner, in 1919. A portrait of Sir James can be seen in the hall. He lived in Worplesdon Place at the centre of an estate which included property on both sides of the A322. The house is now the Worplesdon Place Hotel, almost opposite the hall.

Management

The management of the Memorial Hall and recreation grounds is in the hands of seven trustees, four donor and three Parish Council trustees. The Parish Council is not responsible for the control of the management of the property although it holds the land and hall in fee simple. The chairman of the trustees is Mr Terry Cater (who is a Parish Council trustee) and the treasurer is Mr Peter Elsing (a donor trustee). Mrs Mary Broughton, Mr Tony Heather and Mr Tim Hunt are the other donor trustees, while Mrs Sandra Morgan and Mr Roger Welch are the other trustees representing the Parish Council. Mrs Stella Harris is the Honorary Secretary.

The trustees are committed to provide the residents of Worplesdon with recreational and social facilities. They give of their time and efforts to maintain the objectives of the Hall Trust as set out in the original Deed of 1919 and are always seeking to improve and expand the facilities for the benefit all users.

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