History Of The Curzon Centre

The Second World War saw the start of a youth club in Maxwell Road. A corrugated iron shed was moved from Hedgerley, where it had been part of an isolation hospital, to the present site. It was then used by local young people and evacuees as their club premises.

In 1946, Bucks County Council bought the land from the Church of England and in 1962 built the present sports hall and foyer. The old hut still provided the kitchen and social area.

The buildings were known as Beaconsfield Youth Club and were used exclusively by club members until 1975 when it was decided that the facilities should be shared with other groups. The Centre was renamed after the family of Earl Howe, the President of the Centre.

In 1982 the Watson Room was added and five years later the huts were finally removed and the rest of the Centre was built The Owen Room was dedicated to David Owens in 1987 in appreciation for his youth work at the centre. It is now a very versatile building, with three main inter-linking rooms, a large kitchen and the largest stage in Beaconsfield. It is estimated that around 1,100 people use the centre each week.

In 1998 Bucks County Council cut its grant to the Centre by 75% making the building a non-viable proposition. Such was the strength of feeling that a public meeting was held. A fundraising committee, The Friends of the Curzon Centre, was formed under Earl Howe and registered with the Charity Commission. With tremendous support from this committee the Management Committee of the Centre was able to improve the facilities, make it more user friendly and run it as a viable proposition.

In 2011 Bucks County Council announced that it would no longer fund the building, nor would it finance youth work. In order that the building remained open for the use for the public, the Committee signed a lease with Bucks Country Council (now Bucks Council). This included a stipulation that the Committee must provide your work and finance all upkeep of the premises apart from matters of health and safety. The Committee formed a Company Limited by Guarantee with charitable status. A Board of Trustees was appointed to oversee the smooth running of the company and the centre.