Click here for alternative viewing option for Apple Macs and some PCs.
It was on the small stage of this local church hall that all twenty productions were performed. Permission to use the hall was obtained from the local vicar the Rev. H G Browning. He also took part in many of the shows as did his daughter Mary Browning.  The photograph above was taken at some time in the 1930s or early 1940s. To the left of the hall is 'Three Ways' the garage and bus company which was owned and run by Tony and Gladys Ford during the 1940s and beyond. They were also very enthusiastic members of The Players and allowed the Players' committee meetings to be held in their home on a fairly regular basis. Today the hall sits at the junction of the B1018 and B1010 roads leading to, or coming from, the popular sailing destination of Burnham-on-Crouch, on the River Crouch.  The hall was built in 1909 at a cost of £400. In 1931 electricity was installed at the cost of just £13 3s 0d and in 1935 it was altered and equipped to allow for stage plays. Water was laid on at the same time. As with many village halls it was used extensively by the local people for numerous activities during the war and later. I can certainly remember attending Sunday School in the hall with Norman Carr in charge. The old iron stove in the alcove providing welcome warmth on a cold winters day, especially in the winter of 1946/47. During the war years the local Home Guard organized dances to raise funds for the war effort. Later we eagerly looked forward each year to the Children's Christmas Parties arranged by the Althorne Social and Industrial Society. These included party games, a meal, silent film shows of Charlie Chaplin or Laurel and Hardy, presented by Mr Amor, and a visit from Father Christmas. The hall also became a centre for the local badmintion club despite ceiling obstructions which could interrupt the flight of the shuttlecock. The photograph below shows a happy gathering of village people attending
a New Year's fancy dress party in the hall. This was organised by younger
members of The Althorne Players in 1952 for family and friends of the Players and was a great success.
 When being used by the Players the changing facilities in the hall were apparently somewhat cramped. The ladies had a small cubby hole off the kitchen area and the men had to make use of a disused bus parked outside the rear entrance to the hall. In the first instance it was a bus which did not allow people to stand upright. Later a disused thirty-six seater bus was provided which allowed the men more room and the luxury of being able to change costumes without being bend double.
Text copyright Bryan Dunn 27 January 2009 |