History of The Lancaster Hall

The Lancaster Hall in Send was given to the village by Arthur Henry Lancaster in 1919. The purpose of the hall was to ‘provide a Drill Hall and Rifle Range for the use of the inhabitants of Send with a view to the encouragement and advancement of military training for the purposes of national defence and for such other purposes of an educational or charitable nature’.

The following is from an open letter to Mr Lancaster from the residents of Send dated June 1919:
“We, your friends and neighbours, desire to place on record our warm appreciation of your noble gift to the village (the hall). Ever since these buildings have been erected they have been of the greatest value to the village, shooting, drills, gymnastics, education extension, concerts, social evenings, dances, dramatic entertainment, whist drives, teas, rummage sales, badminton, boy scouts, childrens’ guild, even this list does not exhaust the multifarious use to which the building has been put. At a time when the return to peace will quicken the social and economic interests of the place, such a building will, if that is possible, be of an even greater benefit in the future.”

Today, almost 100 years later, the hall is still a vibrant and essential part of village life, providing a venue for many of the villages clubs and associations; Send Amateur Dramatic Society have been performing there for over 60 years, Little Owl playgroup which was formed over 50 years ago, use the hall every morning. More recently it has been used for yoga, Pilates and keep fit. Send Guides make use of the upper hall whilst the Newlands Dog Society use the main hall for ensuring that our canine companions are safe citizens. Send Parish Council also have their offices within the building.