History

The idea of a Public Hall in Innellan (known locally and commonly referred to as The Village Hall) came about in the late 1890s and the inaugural meeting was held at the then Royal Hotel in 1899. At that time local folk had had to rely on the church halls which were not large and in the gift of the churches and the Royal Hotel which was expensive, to hold meetings and other functions. The plan was for a hall which would serve the needs of the local community, young and old alike.

By 1902 plans had been drawn up and, although not without opposition from some quarters, the building was erected on what had been the waiting room for steamers arriving at Innellan Pier, the land having been acquired by the Hall Trustees Committee. Funding for the hall had come from various benefactors and from a variety of fundraising events and subscriptions. The Coronation events of 1902 saw a dance for young villagers being held in the Hall. In 1903 the Constitution for the Hall was set out at a public meeting. Over the succeeding years the Hall went from strength to strength with a ‘Grand Exhibition of ‘Main’ Gas Cooking and Heating Appliances’ being held in 1911. Soon various community activities such as dancing, carpet bowls, whist drives, school concerts etc were becoming regular features and the Hall was fulfilling the purpose envisaged by those who had set up the project.

Over the years the Hall has continued to be a focal point in the community of Innellan. Today it continues to play host to various organisations much the same as it did in its inaugural years - carpet bowls, SWRI, art classes, various dance and exercise classes, badminton club, Masonic Lodge, visiting theatre groups and others are regular users of the Hall. The Hall is also available for hire for private functions or one off events and is regularly used for these too. The Hall also now houses the Innellan Public Hall Archive Project which documents the history of Innellan from 1898 to date on story boards on the hall wall. A fuller version is available in From Scenes Like These Vols 1, 2 and 3 which are available from the Hall, the local Post Office and other outlets.