The Old School Hall, Yardley Hastings

The charming ‘Old School Hall’ is situated in the lovely village of Yardley Hastings which is renowned for its character and historic architecture.

Part of the Castle Ashby Estate, owned by the Marquess of Northampton, the village is surrounded by fields, woods and glorious views. Yardley, meaning ‘fenced meadow’, affixed the name Hastings following the death of Sir Henry de Hastings in 1250. As he had inherited the Manor of the village, the family name was used after his death to distinguish the village from other Yardleys (i.e. Gobion).

Originally the building was used as an agricultural servants’ office as shown in the plaque above the front door. In rural England, “agricultural servants” was a 19th–early 20th century term for farm labourers employed on yearly contracts.

Yardley Hastings Primary School, which is on the opposite side of the road, was known then as a National School. It was built in 1838 by the Church of England and supported by the Marquess of Northampton to provide elementary education to the children of the poor. The primary school was rebuilt in 1871 to meet the requirements set out in the 1870 Education Act and as the number of pupils attending the school increased, the hall was used as an extension to it, hence the name ‘The Old School Hall’. In the Yardley Hastings’ book published in 1996, Eleanor Underwood of Castle Ashby Road recalls attending lessons in the hall, known as the ‘Big’ (mixed) school, before she left in 1933, aged 13.

The Old School Hall continued to be used as an annex to the main building and in 1964, it was improved to allow for wider use – assemblies, music and physical education. The old coke stoves were replaced with modern heating.

When the primary school was extended in 2007, the Old School Hall became redundant until a resident saw this historic building to be the perfect location for an Arts Centre. The building was leased from Compton Estates and received assistance from the Compton Charitable Trust, becoming the home to Yardley Arts CIC (Community Interest Company) which officially opened in October 2017. Its spacious, airy and versatile interior has become an ideal space to offer a wide range of inspiring arts activities, exhibitions and events.

Researched by Jan Bridge, on behalf of Yardley Arts. 2025