Community Hall
There cannot be many 19th century churches in England that have been converted so successfully as Westbury Leigh Community Hall.
Sympathetically altered in 2000 to preserve the essence of the original church, the Community Hall boasts a Main Hall measuring some 17m by 7m, benefiting from under floor heating beneath a wonderful beech floor.
The Main Hall interior is greatly enhanced by the high, original and restored beams of the church ceiling and the original limestone walls, a stage (measuring 7m x 2m), four original windows, a hatch to the kitchen and three hardwood framed glass screens containing partition doors that open into the chancel of the church for larger religious services.
The chancel is still regularly employed for Christian worship and celebrations making Westbury Leigh Community Hall an ideal venue for weddings and other life events.
Upper Room
In addition to the main hall, a meeting room (or Upper Room) was created in the south wing by building a second floor above the newly created kitchen and toilet facilities.
A staircase and disabled lift in the church’s tower provide access to the Upper Room; a well lit room which also benefits from natural light from the church’s south and east facing windows.
A particular feature of this room is the beamed ceiling and the glazed hardwood arches that overlook the main hall.
The Upper Room is also fully carpeted and heated and provides comfortable seating for any occasion. It measures about 11m by 4m.
The Kitchen
The well equipped kitchen includes a cooker with hotplates and oven, a tall fridge, warming cupboard, large hot water urn, kettles, china and cutlery, double sink with double drainer, a microwave and plenty of worktop space. There is a serving hatch which can be opened to provide access from the main hall.
Kitchen hire costs are scaled to be appropriate to the required use (see our bookings page).
Multi Use with Disabled Access
The Community Hall is a vibrant and favourite local amenity and home for many regular events including folk dancing, keep fit, yoga, pilates, bingo, bridge and cribbage clubs as well as a variety of family parties.
Access to the Main Hall is step free with disabled toilet and child changing facilities just off the foyer. A removable ramp provides access to the Church Chancel via the main hall.
A lift in the tower provides access to the upstairs meeting room.
Capacity and Facilities Information:
Maximum capacity of building – 120 people (Main Hall 90 people, upper room 30). For those hirers who wish to continue exercising caution with the relaxation of COVID-19 social distancing measures we retain two metre spacing markers on the floor to assist with this.
Number of chairs for main hall -110
Number of tables for main hall – 20
Number of chairs for meeting room – 32
Number of tables for meeting room – 1
Upright piano – 1
Electric Organ – 1
Wi-Fi connectivity to the internet is available throughout the building.
The PA System in the Main Hall is available for hirers for a small additional charge.
Parking
There is a gravelled courtyard to the front of the church providing parking for about 23 cars. In addition, on street parking is available and a large public car park is available 100 metres away.
Please do not park at the back of the church in Salisbury Close, as that is a private road.
Keeping Safe
Emergency contact numbers are given on notices in the Main Hall and the entrance foyer.
First aid boxes with incident books are easily available on the foyer and kitchen.
Fire exits are clearly marked with a “running man” and provide emergency lighting. Appropriate first response fire extinguishers are strategically and conveniently placed throughout the building.
Keeping the Community Hall Clean
Hirers are requested to leave the Community Hall as clean as they would expect to find it for their own booking – there may be another booking straight after you.
Cleaning materials, brooms and waste bags are available in the kitchen for a thorough clean up.
Our clean up protocol requests hirers to:
- wipe tables before storing them under the stage
- stack chairs around the sides of the Hall (not against the folding doors to the church)
- Wipe up any spillages on the floors with a damp cloth (please note that too much water will spoil the Hall’s floor)
- Sweep floors with particular attention to glitter and other party debris
- Wash and dry all crockery and utensils and store in the labelled drawers and cupboards
- Clean all kitchen worktops and appliances used
- Dispose of all waste in the wheeled skip behind the fence panel to the left of the of the hall entrance. If you can take your recyclable waste away please do so – this helps keep hall costs down – although all waste is sorted by the collector for recyclables.
- Replace used waste bags in the bins (kitchen and toilets) with new bags
There are currently additional cleaning requirements for the COVID-19 pandemic. Full details of the responsibilities of the Committee and the Hirer can be found in Appendix A on the Terms & Conditions page.
Award of Excellence
In 2003, the Community Hall was awarded a certificate of excellence from Community First’s Village Halls in Wiltshire Competition.
