Village Institute, Silverdale

 Built on a site purchased from Henry Thornton for £58 and opened on12 December 1907 by Mrs Morley Saunders.

THE INSTITUTE - Building operations in connection with the Institute have been commenced this week. The building is to be a one-storied one, built of local stone with half-timbered gables, and slated with Coniston slates. The cost is to be met by public subscriptions. There is to be a billiard-room 36 feet by 24 feet, and two other rooms. Messrs Austin and Paley are the architects. [Lancaster Standard and General Advertiser 7 June 1907 page 7]

THE NEW INSTITUTE - Silverdale was very busy and very gay yesterday. The new village institute was formally opened, and to celebrate the event there was a tea party and social gathering, with music and dancing. The institute takes the place of the old Men's Social. It was started a year or so ago by Mr I Smith JP who was the living at Hazelwood, and who gave £100 to start the building fund and also promised to  ** the new club with a billiard table. Since then, a committee have made strenuous efforts to raise money and have succeeded so well as to justify them making a start. The new Institute is off the main road. It is an imposing stone building and has cost nearly £500. Messrs Austin and Paley were the architects, and the building was done by local firms. It contains one large room, big enough to accommodate two billiard tables or to find room for a gathering of at least 200. [Lancaster Standard and General Advertiser 13 December 1907]

SILVERDALE INSTITUTE OPENING CEREMONY - The new village Institute of picturesque Silverdale was successfully opened on Thursday evening by Mrs Morley-Saunders of the Cove. This happy scheme originated with Ald. Isaac Smith of Bradford, who resided for ten years in Silverdale. As a parting gift he handed to Dr Milner Helme £100 and a handsome billiard table as the nucleus of a fund for an institute, which would be a home for the men's social club and various lectures, entertainments and other function of a non-political, non-sectarian and temperance character. Messrs Austin & Paley, the Lancaster architects, designed a very suitable structure which has been erected on a central site, easily accessible for all parts of Silverdale, in Barker's Field. The site was obtained from Mr Thornton at the reasonable cost of £58, and the structure is of stone in the half-timbered style, consisting of a spacious room with a porch, and ante-room. The main hall, 46ft by 24ft, accommodating 200 persons, can be divided by Stone's patent folding partitions, and include billiard and reading rooms. The contracts have been carried out by Mr Hall (stonemason); Mr Keen Silverdale plumbing and painting: Mr Crosfield, Arnside, joinery. It should be mentioned that Mr Henry Pratt JP., generously offered a site free, but the more central one was preferred. Dr Milner Helme had a most gratifying list of subscriptions totalling to E370, to hand over to the Treasurer (Major Willan), the donors including every section of the community. [Lancaster Guardian 14 December 1907]

Reference        Lancaster Standard and General Advertiser 7 June 1907 page 7
Reference        Lancaster Standard and General Advertiser 13 December 1907
Reference        Lancaster Guardian 30 November 1907
Reference        Lancaster Guardian 14 December 1907
Reference        Manchester Courier 14 December 1907