VICTORIA HALL Past & Present
By Barry Hingston Chair of Trustees
The Victoria Hall is a community facility for the people of Harrow. It dates as far back as 1888, when at a cost of the princely sum of £750, the original hall was erected just to the west of the chapel that was soon to become St John the Baptist Parish Church.
The Hall has always had the same mission - to provide a community space for the enjoyment of the people of Harrow. The initial deed said this "....to be used for the sole purpose of affording to the inhabitants...of the locality the opportunities of intellectual and moral improvement, and rational and social enjoyment though the medium of a reading room, lectures and entertainments, and also of supplying the need of a Hall in which to hold public meetings, and of a place for Sunday School classes for St John's District, and for any useful and desirable purposes within the objects and purview of the said Act.
The Hall was originally sited to the west of St John's church but was then rebuilt and relocated to the area of ground roughly equivalent to where it is now. In 2018 it closed and was demolished. In 2021 it will re-open as a brand new building, which is part of a comprehensive housing development scheme in central Harrow.
We are now open to facilitate the Harrow community to forge social cohesion, education, recreation, mental health and creativity. Everything that goes to make a community a community. We have three fresh spaces for hire and modern facilities, including a complete stainless steel semi-professional kitchen. We can accommodate a wide range of activity from small craft groups, exercise clubs and choirs through to celebratory gatherings. Our new facility can hold a maximum 329 people.
We'll provide the space, you provide the activity, and together we can create something special for all Harrow people.