Crossbow House - Frampton Cotterell and District Community Association Hall Hire -Frampton Cotterell and District Community Association Main Hall - Frampton Cotterell and District Community Association Licensed Bar - Frampton Cotterell and District Community Association Crossbow House - fcdca

Frampton Cotterell and District Community Association

About us

History of Crossbow House

The building was erected in 1842 by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education. These national schools provided elementary education in accordance with the teaching of the Church of England to the children of the poor. Eventually the schools were absorbed into the state system.

By 1956 the school was an old-fashioned village school with only 80 pupils. The headmaster, with wife and family lived in the four upstairs rooms. The largest room was used as the school hall, and also as two classrooms. (Divided by screens). The room at the front of the building was the infant classroom with Mrs Chainey as the teacher. When the village became a popular place to live, the school out grew itself and a new school was built on Rectory Road. In 1969 nearly 250 pupils marched with parents from the old school to the new.

The Frampton Cotterell & District Community Association was formed on February15th 1968. The principal area of benefit was to be the villages of Frampton Cotterell and Coalpit Heath. Total membership at formation was approximately 1,050 familes. In the early days all the meetings and activities were held in schools, church halls etc. The first premises acquired was St Peter's Church Hall which was operated under licence from the Church Trustees.

In 1969 negotiations were started to purchase the former Church of England school, (now Crossbow House). The negotiations proved protracted, but in July 1973 the school was purchased for £10,000. As the building had been left empty for over four years it had been vandalised and the total cost to make it into a community centre was £26,000 with a lot of voluntary labour.

In 1974 the ground floor of Crossbow House was put in to full use and the bar opened on December 14th. The bulding was officially opened in 1975 and Mrs Chainey opened the Chainey Room.

Anybody coming in to the bar can see a mural on the wall consisting of 56 eight inch square tiles. This shows many aspects of Frampton Cotterell with local scenes, names of the families who lived in Frampton Cotterell between 1560 and 1851 and were married during these years.

The Mural Project was begun by the Leyhill resettlement group led by T.Dan Smith prisoner at Leyhill Prison. This was officially unveiled by John Cope M.P. at Crossbow House on 26th June 1976.