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                        Arrochar Parish Hall 1890 - 2006  > 

HISTORY OF THE ARROCHAR PARISH HALL 1890 - 2006

 The Village Hall is clearly shown in the centre of this picture
 

  • Arrochar Parish Hall was a wooden building with corrugated iron facings, built in 1890, the cost being met mainly from public subscriptions raised to a large extent by the then minister of  Arrochar Rev. James Dewar.
  • It was the centre of the community’s social activities been used every night of the week.
  • In 1962 the Hall Trustees signed the Hall over to the County Council of Dumbarton, and they took great care in the transfer document wording to ensure that there would always be a village hall in the Parish of Arrochar should anything happen to the building.

Two statements in the transfer documents would have had great emphasis put on them by the Trustees.

a.      “The buildings thereon for any purpose whatsoever other than as a Public Hall for the inhabitants of Arrochar Parish”.

b.      “In the event of the said building being at anytime destroyed by fire then forthwith out of the proceeds of the policy or otherwise (could be sale) to build a new building which shall be capable of being a public hall”.

 Outside the Village Hall

  • This hall served the Arrochar & Tarbet community until in 1972 when  Dumbarton Council needed a site on which to build a Community Centre, after being turned down by Bearsden / Milingarvie area. The Parish Hall was demolished and the Community Centre erected.
  • The centre passed from Dumbarton Council to Strathclyde Regional Council and at this time unknown to the community SRC in 1977 purchased the plot of land the Parish hall stood on from Luss Estates for £250. (No local signatures on documents).

·         The arrangement of the Community ‘sharing’ the new Community Centre did not really work out well, and it was not long before the residents of the village were second to the residents of the now renamed ‘Outdoor Centre’. It has to be said that the centre did provide work for locals and this was a valued asset.

·         By 1995 the centre was in Argyll & Bute Council control and they took the decision to close the facility due to the high cost of repair and maintainance.

·         In 2004 the Territorial Army had approached Argyll & Bute Council for a lease of the building all refurbishment being funded by the TA. The village had no strong objection to this as we had been told that there was the likely hood of the residents of the village being able to use the facility again.

·         However, the final nail was put in the Parish Hall’s coffin by the sale of the building by Argyll & Bute Council to the Territorial Army with no definite agreement that the village will be accommodated.