Kelmscott William Morris hall roof restoration complete

A village hall built in memory of leading 19th Century designer William Morris has been restored after a fundraising campaign.

The Morris Memorial Hall was built in the Oxfordshire village of Kelmscott in 1934 in memory of the founder of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Residents raised £130,000 to replace the Cotswold stone slate roof on the Grade II-listed building.

Laura Roberts said the hall had now been "saved for future generations".

The Arts and Crafts movement, which began in the 19th Century, championed traditional craftsmanship and is often associated with the works of Morris, who lived at nearby Kelmscott Manor.

The Morris Memorial Hall was opened in 1934 after being commissioned by May Morris in memory of her father who died in 1896.

The village's Raise the Roof campaign raised almost £130,000 needed for specialist work on the roof, along with a future project to replace the floor, heating system plasterwork and toilets.

The project was awarded a grant of £29,375 from West Oxfordshire District Council.

Ms Roberts 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.

Original contributors to its construction in the 1930s included writer Rudyard Kipling, actor Laurence Olivier and the playwright George Bernard Shaw, who performed the opening ceremony.