About the Hall
Caversham Hall is a registered charity (no. 234438) whose aim is to provide the residents of Caversham – regardless of race, colour and creed – a safe, welcoming community space, available to hire at a reasonable rate. The Hall is run and maintained by the Trustees of Caversham Hall, all of who give their time on a volunteer basis.
Please note: although situated next to it, we have no association with St Johns Church.
Aims and objectives
That its hire charges be kept as competitive as possible;
That it be maintained to the highest standard of decoration at all times;
That it remain open for hire throughout the term-time of the community’s local schools;
That it be available for hire at both weekday and weekend;
That it maintain its charitable, not-for-profit status.
History
Caversham Hall was built around 1890 and from 1893 began life as St Johns National Voluntary Infants’ School. In 1895, a larger school, St Johns Church of England, was opened for 250 boys and girls on land at the back of the school. That building still stands today, in use as New Bridge Nursery School.
Both buildings were used as schools until their closure in the late 1950s. The infants school was then purchased shortly afterwards by the Trustees of Caversham Hall for use as a village hall for the local community and with minimal structural changes was redeveloped in the early 1960s into what is there now.
It has been in use as a village hall since that date and, as the images clearly illustrate, remains virtually unchanged from what was first built nearly 130 years ago.
The original images (below) were taken in 1907 by Oxfordshire County Council’s first Education Secretary, Percy Elford, (1867-1950) whose job it was to visit and photograph all 235 schools which the council inherited following the Education Act of 1902. Caversham was still part of Oxfordshire until 1911, so St Johns National Voluntary School fell under Percy’s remit of schools to visit. If you’d like to read more about this unique individual, there’s a wonderful article on him here.
All Percy Elford images © Oxfordshire County Council, Oxfordshire History Centre.
The infants’ school (circled) and a floorplan of the school showing how little has changed structurally since it was built.
St Johns National Voluntary Infants’ School and Caversham Hall as it stands today taken from the junction of St Johns Road and Montague Street. St Johns Church can be seen in both photographs on the far right hand side.
South Hall back in 1906 and as it is today.
South Hall looking towards St Johns Road.
South Hall. Back in 1906 the Halls could be separated into two classrooms by a moveable divider which could be pulled back to make one large open-plan classroom, as shown (left).
The cloakroom for the school had no toilets, just a sink where the two toilets are today (far left).
The childrens’ toilets were in a block situated behind the school.