The creation of a Village Hall to be known as The Cedar Hall on land in Green Close Charlton Marshall was started by the sale of this land in 1939 to the then Trustees for the sum of £75.

The Covenant created on this land was that a Village Hall be built for social and recreational purposes of the inhabitants of the Parish of Charlton Marshall. This is the building which remains today (plus extensions added later) which is constructed of timber (Cedar) with a felted roof and has been used as a village hall continually since with exception of the war years when it was requisitioned by the military to be used as a Post Office for American troops.

Today the Hall sits in the middle of the village alongside the busy A350 road, with the Charlton Inn Public House opposite and the Church also on the opposite side but farther up the road. Bus stops to Blandford and Poole are nearby and the recently renovated Trailway runs along the rear of the village within easy walking distance of the Hall.
This piece of land and the Hall is today a Charitable Trust with members of the management committee being trustees reporting annually to the Charity Commission, which is covered within law.

The Hall does not stand in the Conservation Area currently covering parts of the village or any area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The population of the village remains diverse in age, employment and social and recreational needs.

The current building is in excess of 70 years old and unfortunately beginning to show its age and as is true with any “tired” building it no longer fits into the world we live in, the 21st century. Current users of the Hall while still finding it a cosy building also find it restricted in size and the facilities outdated.

The expected life of the felted roof and the timber floor have more or less reached their limit and their renovation and renewal would be extremely expensive currently expected to be around £30/35K.

It is therefore regarded by the present committee that planning should be started to provide a new Hall with all the difficulties of funding, planning and building shared as a total village project.