Glenlivet Public Hall

About the hall

A wee bit of history...

Glenlivet Public Hall was donated to the people of Glenlivet by Captain William Smith Grant. Captain Smith Grant was a great grandson of Colonel George Smith founder of Glenlivet Distillery. He returned home from the War in 1921 to take over the reins at the Distillery. Just like his Grandfather and uncles before him, Captain Smith Grant took on a very public role within both the local community and the County of Banff. Shortly after his return he gifted the Hall in order to provide social and recreational facilities for the folk of Glenlivet.

A poem taken from Glenlivet Lilts by R H Calder published in 1925 gives mention of the event.

Glenlivet:

Glenlivet it has Castles three,
Drumin, Blairfindy and Deskie,
And also one distillery
More famous than the castles three.

Glenlivet it has peaty hills,
And rushing burns, and sparkling rills,
Where scores of wee unlicensed stills
Were busy filling kegs and gills.

Glenlivet it has raised its name
To shine upon the brow of fame,
And neighbours, near and distant, claim
A right to profit by the same.

Glenlivet has a Gallowhill,
Whereon the hangman plied his skill;
But, though the name suggests it still,
No culprit does a gallows fill.

Glenlivet has a standing stone,
A relic of an age bygone;
Its history can be told by none;
Itself had best be left alone.

Glenlivet has a battlefield
On which Argyle was forced to yield,
But brave MacLean his brand did wield
Till Huntly’s might o’ercame the chield.

Glenlivet it had wond’rous sights
Of fairies, witches, ghosts and lights
And oh, the shaking, quaking frights
“Feart places” gave on darksome nights!

Glenlivet now has got a hall,
The very thing, one might it call,
A comfort and a joy to all
At concert, soiree, play or ball.

According to the plaque on the Hall wall it was built in 1926, but was obviously the talk of the area for some time before this.

And nowadays...

Public records of Scotland show a Deed of Trust for Glenlivet Public Hall recorded 6th July 1959. Historically, the Distillery Manager, the Minister, the Banker and the Headteacher were the Trustees, but latterly the Community have had to nominate trustees as these positions are now much wider than Glenlivet and the holders do not necessarily live in the community. A committee made up from representatives of the clubs using the Hall and co-opted members help the four trustees run the Hall.
Glenlivet Public Hall is a building of great character in a beautiful setting and to build it now would cost many hundreds of thousands of pounds if indeed possible at all!

Many of the new community buildings are box-like and sadly lacking in character. Ongoing maintenance is crucial as any major works required on an old building such as the hall always prove to be costly. The better used the hall is the better maintained it will be! The time has probably come to consider the energy efficiency of the Hall, as this is the one big cost for the numerous clubs using the hall over the winter months. It is essential that the Trustees and committee focus on the Hall's sustainability as the pressure on public funds is ever increasing.

Its purpose

"for the purpose of physical and educational training, social recreation, and social, moral and intellectual development"
Currently the hall is used by a number of groups (clubs?) for regular (weekly) meetings involving sports, music, dancing and more. These meetings do not necessarily require seasonal membership hence the term club is not necessarily correct. However, we use the term club on this website just for ease of purpose. Please see the Clubs at the hall page for more information.
Beside these regular users, the hall aims to provide a venue for other public or private events. Regular recurring events include the Pensioners Party in January, a Hostess Evening usually taking place in May and Tea in the park in August. The army's officer training corps use the hall as their base camp for two weeks in July.
Behind the hall there is a football pitch which, together with the campsite is leased by the trustees from the Crown Estate. The football pitch is used regularly by the football and archery clubs and like the hall itself it can be booked for private events.

Camping

Part of the grounds behind the hall is registered as a certified location with the Caravan Club. For a small fee - proceeds go to the maintenance of the hall - members of the Caravan Club can pitch their tent or caravan and get access to the hall toilets and showers. See the Contacts, bookings page for more information.

Private events

The hall is available for your private event too. The main hall provides an excellent venue for larger private functions for the cost of only £50 plus charges per night. Obviously the hall can be booked for whole days or even longer. Please refer to the Contacts, bookings page for information on bookings.
Currently we are working on the installation of a licensed bar in what used to be the committee room, which means that as of this summer the main hall and the more intimate bar will be available fo hire either individually or as a whole.

Where to find the hall

Glenlivet Hall is located just outside Bridgend of Glenlivet on the B9008. The full address is at the bottom of the page. For a(Multi)map with the location of the hall please click here.