The village hall was originally constructed by subscription as a National School in 1848, and eventually became a school for girls and infants only, but by 1923 Devon County Education Committee had decided that the disused school would no longer be required  as an elementary school, and in February the following year the Revd D W Henry received a letter informing him that the Duke of Bedford wished to proceed with the purchase of the school with a view to the erection of a Village Hall. In 1926, the Duke of Bedford added an extension of wood and corrugated iron for the establishment of a Women’s Institute. The Duke agreed to let the Hall and reading rooms, outbuildings and yard for a yearly rent of two shillings.

By 1963 a newspaper article refers to the Hall being gifted to the parish from the Duke of Bedford’s estate. After formation of a committee to run the hall, it was eventually registered as a charity in 1974.

Over the past century, the Village Hall has seen countless events and been put to great use by many different local groups. The Milton Abbot Players have put on a play nearly every November since 1928. The Village Show every September has remained a popular part of village life. In recent years, an Art Group, a Friendship Group, Zumba classes and more have relied on the hall.

In Autumn 2023, serious cases of dry rot and wet rot were discovered in the oldest parts of the building.

There’s still time to remedy the situation. The Village Hall committee has established a plan to remedy the rot, prevent it recurring and ensure the hall can be back to its best before too long. If we can successfully raise the necessary funds, we hope to achieve this within the next year, and be ready to celebrate a century of the Village Hall in 2026!

A plan has been devised, to tackle all of the Hall’s problems step by step and as we hit a series of fundraising goals. Read more about the plan here.

The first major project is reinstating the History Room – read about that here and donate here.

The new committee as of May 2024 is:

Chairman: Jonathan Watson
Treasurer: Sonia Callaway
Secretary: Jane Savage


Louise Scott
Simon Reid
Brian Martin

Representatives from Groups:

Norma Massey
Michael Blatchford
Chris Harrap
Andy Harrap

Please contact us here with any questions, advice, offers of help.

Thank you to all of the volunteers who have helped with the work on the Hall so far!

Our updated Village Hall graphic and logo is based on a drawing by Ann Spurr.