Facilities
The hall has the following facilities available for hire:
Main hall
Hire of the main hall (7meters x 16meters) includes use of the stage, back stage, bar area and kitchen . Full seating and tables are available for use. The main hall has a full EV 7.1 sound system and 32 channel mixing desk and stage lighting system available for hire as an extra please mention in your requirements when booking. Use of the basic stereo system without sound desk is included in standard hire.
Mutual Hall
The Mutual hall is used during the day to run the Auchenblae Pre School Group . It is available for hire at all other times for larger meetings , and medium size events. The room has it’s own kitchen area .
Bar Area
The bar area is available for hire as a small meeting room , or small event area.
Meeting Room
The meeting room is used mostly for group committee meetings and can seat about 30 people. Electricity is inclusive in the hire cost .
Bookings
If you wish to book the hall please fill in the booking form
As of April 1st 2015, the new hall hire rates will go into effect. Hall hire will be from the time of access (including set up) to the time of exit. (For larger events we will be able to make reasonable allowances for pre-event set up.) Please click the link below to see the hall hire rates. Please note that it is still possible to book the Hall by contacting Tracey Harrison Lewis on 01561 320982 if you are not online as we recognise that not everyone in the village has access to a computer nor are they computer users. The new booking system, however, allows for quick and easy booking online and is available 24/7 when Tracey will not be.
Terms and Conditions
Please be aware that the terms and conditions for the hall have been update as of Spring 2017 and all hirers should read them to make sure they comply .
History
Auchenblae Public Hall Opened in 1870
During the 19th century, great social changes were afoot to improve the life of middle and working class people. Here in Auchenblae, a suitable venue was required where leisurely and educational pursuits could be enjoyed. A committee of respected local gentlemen embarked on the ambitious project, which resulted in a sterling example of community involvement and effort.
Built from local sandstone, faced with decorative hand chiseled panels, a red-bricked facade, tower, crow-stepped gables and feature brickwork, Auchenblae Public Hall was to become one of the finest in the County. The doorway on the west led into the Hall Keeper’s house, where a kitchen cum living room was on the immediate left. To the rear, a gent’s anteroom off which an enclosed wooden frame extended over the burn and may be assumed to have served as a convenient flush toilet! A narrow staircase led to a bedroom and ‘The Boardroom’. The public entrance was at the other end, just as it is today. In through the flag stoned vestibule, the hall was off to the left. The Gallery, or balcony as we know it, was added at a later date.
An extension designed to share the east wall was completed in 1899 under the auspices of Auchenblae Mutual Improvement Association, as a further place of learning and entertainment. The gable facade matched the existing frontage, with its own doorway and staircase. A pine paneled reading room and library was off to the right, with a lavatory and small kitchen to the back. Upstairs, was another hall and cloakroom.
The tower has long gone and this later extension has been absorbed into the main hall. The quaint pine paneled room above today’s kitchen and toilets facilities, is still referred to by locals as ‘The Mutual’.
(Courtesy of Jenny Thomson)