Our History

In 1838 a village school was built by a mining company to provide education facilities for the local miners’ children. By the end of the 1850’s the school had been extended three times due to the rising school-age population.

In 1860 the school began evening classes for the benefit of the wider population. These classes included first aid, gardening, cookery, wood carving, bookkeeping and office routine.

In 1899 the original entrance and adjacent areas were replaced with a new building. The bell tower and weathercock were erected. In 1914 a handicraft building was opened. This is now the Educational Block.

During the interwar period it was used to deliver adult education by the recently formed branch of the Workers Educational Association in connection with the University of Manchester.

From around the beginning of World War II in 1939, the centre was used by the Home Guard as its headquarters and an air raid siren was housed in the bell tower. The original oak front door was rehung at the new entrance.

In 1946, just after the end of World War II the school was purchased from Poynton Collieries Company by two villagers, Mr. William Jones Davis and Mr. Joseph Higginbotham. The building and 11 acres of surrounding land were purchased for £5,000.

On 25th May 1950, The Poynton Social Centre as it was then known was placed into trust “for the maintenance and improvement of the physical and mental training and recreation, social, moral and intellectual development and the well-being of persons resident in the Parish of Poynton-with-Worth in the County of Chester.” These words are taken from the original trust deed signed by Joseph Higginbotham, Ezra Wainwright, Charles William Piggott and Francis William Openshaw.

In the 1950’s the building became a meeting place for local activities. These included the Townswomen’s Guild, Poynton Brass Band, leisure and educational activities. Construction of a bandstand began behind the centre, but it was never completed. There was also a small lending library which cost 3d (just over a penny in new money) for 10 days.

In the 1960’s the centre became well known nationally for its folk events and held an annual Easter event. The Folk Centre was granted a licence to sell alcohol. Groups such as Freddie and the Dreamers, Herman’s Hermits, Merseybeats, Bullock Smithy, Johnny Peters and the Crestas, The Troggs, Johnny Silvo and Jake Thackery all played here. Its renown was maintained into the 1970’s when The Spinners, Oldham Tinkers and The Haughton Weavers made regular appearances. Mike Harding aka The Rochdale Cowboy, and Jasper Carrot also took to the stage. During this time the Centre also hosted a regular youth club, a ballet class and was home to Poynton Air Training Corps.

By 1985 the building was beginning to show signs of age, and a large amount of money was needed to keep it in reasonable condition. The Folk Centre closed. Some renovation work was carried out in the 1990’s and the centre was able to provide local facilities again for adult education and IT training. This was short-lived however, and in the following decade the centre lapsed into disrepair. It was finally closed for health and safety reasons.

In 2014 a small group of local people decided that the centre could not be left to decay. They began the task of raising substantial amounts of money to repair and reopen the building, eventually providing the community with a centre which could be fully used again. A new board of trustees now works diligently to keep the legend alive.