A MEMORIAL hall which was first backed by Rudyard Kipling, Laurence Olivier and George Bernard Shaw has been preserved after its roof was restored.

About £130,000 was raised to renovate the top of Kelmscott’s Morris Memorial Hall.

The Grade II-listed hall was built in 1934 in the memory of the designer, poet and novelist William Morris, a founder of the arts and crafts movement, who lived at nearby Kelmscott Manor.

His daughter, May Morris, commissioned the building in 1928.

Laura Roberts, treasurer of the Raise the Roof conservation campaign, said: “Our hall was in real danger of falling into ruin.

"If we had failed in our efforts to conserve the roof, we would have lost not only an important part of our built heritage but also the central and focal point of our tiny community.

“We can now look forward with confidence and are extremely proud to have saved our hall for future generations.”

When the building was opened the crowds to see it were so great that the Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, was left outside and had to watch George Bernard Shaw’s speech through an open window.

Villagers, sponsors, individual donors and members of the roofing team who carried out specialist work attended a celebration where Lord Faringdon unveiled a special panel acknowledging many of those who donated.

West Oxfordshire District Council contributed £29,375 to the final total from its community facilities grant programme.

Councillor Jeanette Baker, cabinet member for leisure and health at West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “It is great to see this campaign come to fruition and we are delighted to see another success helped by the community facilities grant programme.

“It is an excellent example of what can be achieved by a small village community and I congratulate everyone involved.”

Fundraising will continue to replace the hall’s floor, repair plasterwork and install disabled toilets, while other money from the £130,000 will be spent on renewing the hall’s heating system.