On the evening of May 9th 1935 the matter of building a church hall in Portskewett was first formally raised at a P.C.C. meeting. The matter was deferred until a further meeting for more extended discussion and to invite the Church Ladies Working Group. A joint meeting was held a month later and it was agreed a site of ¼ acre would suffice.
A few different sites were looked into but were unable to be purchased. The hall fund stood at £137.10.2d. At a meeting in October 1935 it was agreed that £40 should be offered to Monmouthshire County Council for a ¼ acre site next to Underwood. A meeting with the County Land Agent was convened to discuss:-
1. The purchase price would be £42.10s
2. The parish to be responsible for fencing
3. The parish to pay for transfer of land
4. The land would be delivered free of the tithe.
The land was eventually purchased in 1935/36 and fund raising began for the building of the hall. Builders put their tenders in. They ranged from £714.14s to £1,360, and the lowest was accepted. The Monmouth Diocesan Board of Finance lent the rest and the interest payable was 2½ per cent p.a. In October 1938 Mrs. Finlay cut the first sod.
The church hall was formally opened by Lady Curre at a meeting presided over by the Bishop of Monmouth on February 17th 1939.
The church hall is used extensively by the communities of Portskewett and Sudbrook. It is hoped that in the not too distant future the hall will be able to be refurbished and made more comfortable for its users.
Moira Ayres
Early 2009 saw the beginning of the much anticipated refurbishment to the Church Hall in Portskewett. Everyone concerned are delighted that the contract was awarded to Hubert Williams - Portskewett Builders - and every early indication is that he is definitely the right man for the job. Work is progressing well and the agreed finish date of 20th July looks to be achievable. It has been an incredible amount of work to raise the grants and pledges for the works to take place, and everyone on the Hall Management Committee is to be complimented on their commitment to the project. The bulk of the money has come from WAG via MCC and the Axis 3 scheme. We were also successful in our bid to MCC under the S106 'New Build' scheme, and the balance has come from a determined fund raising programme by the committee which has been wonderfully supported by our church members, local groups and individuals. Also grants from various other bodies including MCC's 'Older Persons Strategy', The Welsh Church Fund, Oldbury Power Station and the James Pantefedwen Foundation. The hall will now be closed until the work is completed, but we will then have a hall that we can all be proud of.
Fr Dennis Richards
