In 1618 a gentleman called John Ball, who lived at The Manor in Hellidon, willed the sum of £100 for a school to be built, with a Masters house attached. This original school building was thatched and continued to be so through to the middle of the 19th century. The school was rebuilt by Rev Charles Holthouse in 1854 and extended again in 1885.
The school room was the only public hall in the village and was often needed for events, for example, 27th November 1908 ‘Holiday granted as the school is needed for Parish Tea and Concert’
The school continued until 1938 when it was closed, but reopened for a short while for evacuees in WW2. Closing for good 2nd August 1945
The building then became known as the Old School and was used for Village events and meetings.
In the 1970’s the Hall hosted many productions by the Hellidon Players. It was this group, in 1981, who set up the fund raising committee to improve facilities and provide flush toilets, an improved kitchen and stage. This same year the building was leased by the John Ball trust to a Management Committee, and became the Village Hall. The official recognition of the building as a Village Hall opened up further grant opportunities for improvements.
The hall was renovated further in 2006 with updates to the kitchen and the toilets
2020 has seen the renovation of the original large feature windows and the removal of the suspended ceiling in the main hall restoring the room back to how it was when it was a school.
In its 400 years it has been a school„ hosted flower shows, stage shows, concerts , dinners, plays, Women’s Institute meetings, weddings, table tennis, keep fit classes, flower arranging, jumble sales, children’s parties, village breakfasts, Safari Suppers, Parish meetings, and much more.