Cheap Community Hall Hire Near Me: What It Really Costs in Brentwood and Essex

Cheap community hall hire near Brentwood: the short answer

A private room for up to 100 guests, a fully stocked bar and free parking, at Brookweald Cricket Club on Weald Road, Brentwood, CM14 5QG, a few minutes from Brentwood town centre.

Evening party £250 Sunday to Thursday, £350 on a Friday or Saturday night. Daytime hire £45 an hour, Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00, minimum two hours. Wake or christening £200 for up to four hours in the daytime. Full day £450. Members get 20% off.

Tell us the date and we will check the diary. Call Rob on 07525 423700 or email brookwealdcricketclub@gmail.com. We usually reply within 48 hours.

What a community hall usually costs, and what gets added on

Most village halls, church halls and council rooms are advertised by the hour. That hourly rate is the number you see in the listing. It is rarely the number you pay.

Here is what tends to get added once you are on the phone:

• A bar, or the lack of one. Plenty of halls have no bar at all. That means hiring a mobile bar, or buying everything yourself and giving it away, because you cannot sell alcohol without a licence.
• A licence, if you are selling drinks. If the hall is not already licensed you need a Temporary Event Notice. It costs £21, and you have to give the council at least ten working days' notice, not counting the day you send it or the day of the event, according to gov.uk. More on when a licence is needed is set out in the Home Office alcohol licensing guidance.
• Corkage, where a bar does exist. Charged per bottle, it adds up quietly.
• A minimum bar spend. The free room at a pub is only free if the bar takes enough.
• Security or damage deposit. Normal, as long as you know whether it comes back.
• A cleaning charge. Sometimes compulsory, sometimes only if you leave a mess.
• Setup and clear-down time. If the clock starts when you arrive with the balloons and stops when the last chair is stacked, a four hour party is a six or seven hour hire.
• Overrun fees. Usually per hour, usually steep.
• Tables, chairs, key collection and return. Small charges that only appear on the invoice.

Do the sum before you commit. Take the hourly rate, multiply it by the real number of hours including setting up and clearing away, then add a bar, a deposit, a cleaning charge and the licence if you need one. An hourly hall that looked cheap in a directory listing often lands above a flat evening price with a staffed bar already in it.

Our prices and what's included

One price, no hourly maths.

What comes with it:

• One open, private room looking out over the cricket square.
• A fully stocked bar, staffed by the club at no extra charge for 40 or more guests. For smaller events, bar staff are £75. Dry hire adds £100.
• Free off-road parking beside the clubhouse.
• Step-free access, new flooring, heating, air conditioning and insulation from our 2024 refit, funded by a £32,000 UK Levelling Up grant.
• Wi-Fi.

Bring your own caterer or buffet. That is your call, not ours.

Evening hire runs from 18:00, music finishes at 00:30 and everyone is out by 01:00. There is a refundable £100 damage deposit on evening and full-day hires. Members get 20% off. No evening parties for under-21s, though daytime parties for children are very welcome.

Capacity: how many people actually fit

Up to 100 guests inside. It is one open room rather than a warren of small ones, so a crowd actually feels like a crowd, and there is room for a DJ or a dance floor at one end without squeezing everyone else out.

There are twelve acres of Weald Park either side of us. Outdoor use is by arrangement, and if you want more than 100 we can talk about a marquee on the grounds.

What people hire the room for

Milestone birthdays. 18ths through to 60ths. Evening hire from 18:00, bar staffed by us, music until 00:30. Friday and Saturday nights are £350, Sunday to Thursday is £250.

Kids' parties. Daytime, weekdays from £45 an hour. Step-free access and parking right outside, which matters when you are carrying in a cake, a tea urn and forty party bags.

Christenings and naming days. Usually Sunday lunchtime. £200 covers up to four hours in the daytime. Bring your own caterer.

Wakes and funeral receptions. A quiet, private room with step-free access and parking right outside. Short notice is almost never a problem. Call Rob on 07525 423700 and we will sort the details.

Engagement parties, anniversaries and retirements. Same evening rates, same bar, same curfew.

Halloween, Christmas and New Year. December Fridays and Saturdays go first. If you want one, ring early.

Regular bookings. Quiz and race nights, charity fundraisers, presentation evenings for other local clubs, societies, fitness and dance classes.

Regular and weekly bookings for groups and classes

If you run a weekly class or a monthly meeting, daytime hire is £45 an hour Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00, with a two hour minimum, and a half day meeting is £150.

The practical bits organisers always ask about: new flooring and heating from the 2024 refit, air conditioning for summer sessions, step-free access from the car park, free parking for your members, and Wi-Fi if you need to take payments or run a screen.

For a standing slot in the diary, ring Rob. We will tell you honestly which days are free around cricket and what we can do on storage and invoicing. One conversation, not a form and a three week wait.

Five things to check before you book any cheap hall

Ask these on the phone and the real price appears.

1. Is there a bar, and is it staffed? If not, who is selling the drinks, and who is licensing it.
2. Is there a minimum spend, and can I bring my own food? Tied-in catering is where a cheap room gets expensive.
3. What time does the music stop and what time am I out? Ours is 00:30 and 01:00.
4. Is the parking free, and how far is it from the door? Older guests and taxi drivers both care about this.
5. Who lets me in, who locks up, who cleans, and is the deposit refundable? Ours is £100 on evening and full-day hires, and it comes back.

Where we are and who we cover

Brookweald Cricket Club, Weald Road, Brentwood, Essex, CM14 5QG. A few minutes from Brentwood town centre, with free off-road parking beside the clubhouse.

Most of our hires come from Brentwood, Shenfield, Hutton, Pilgrims Hatch, Doddinghurst, Kelvedon Hatch, Blackmore, Ingatestone, Ongar, Billericay and the Harold Hill and Romford fringe. It is an easy postcode to give a taxi driver, and guests can be dropped right at a step-free door rather than walking from a town centre car park.

How to book

Tell us the date, rough numbers and what the event is. We will check the diary and come back to you, usually within 48 hours.

Call Rob on 07525 423700 or email brookwealdcricketclub@gmail.com.

Saturday nights and December dates get taken early, so book those as far ahead as you can. Short notice weekday bookings, including wakes, are usually fine. Just ring.

FAQ

How much does it cost to hire a community hall? It depends on the hall, the day and what is bundled in. Ours: £45 an hour daytime on weekdays (minimum two hours), £150 for a half day meeting, £200 for a wake or christening of up to four hours in the daytime, £250 for an evening party Sunday to Thursday, £350 on a Friday or Saturday night, and £450 for a full day. Members get 20% off. When you compare halls, compare the total, not the hourly rate.

Can I bring my own food and drink to a hall hire? Food, yes. Bring your own caterer or buffet. Drinks come from our fully stocked bar, which is staffed by the club at no extra charge for 40 or more guests, or £75 for bar staff at smaller events.

How many people fit in your function room? Up to 100 inside, in one open private room looking out over the cricket square. More by arrangement with a marquee on the grounds.

Can I book the hall for a weekly class or regular group? Yes. Daytime weekday hire is £45 an hour with a two hour minimum, and a half day meeting is £150. Ring Rob with the day and time you want and we will see what we can hold for you.

What should I check before hiring a cheap hall for a party? Whether there is a bar or whether you have to supply and licence your own alcohol, whether there is a minimum spend, whether you can bring your own food, what time the music stops and everyone is out, whether parking is free, who lets you in and locks up, and whether the deposit is refundable.

How quickly can you take a booking at short notice? Short notice weekday bookings, including wakes, are usually fine. Call Rob on 07525 423700 or email brookwealdcricketclub@gmail.com and we will check the diary. We usually reply within 48 hours.