The Village Hall is a former water driven corn mill, records of which go back to 1378 when it was surveyed and valued at 40 shillings.
It is likely that the mill has been on this site since it was first built as there is a good supply of water, the moors provided mill stones and there was a network of roads and tracks enabling people to bring their corn for milling.
In 1890 when the mill was sold as part of the Ogle estate, it was decribed as a three storey stone and slated water mill with three pairs of working stones and having drying chambers for the manufacture of both Scotch and English oatmeal (Scotch being coarser) It also had two stone and slated cottages, sheds, farm buildings, a piggery and about 62 acres of land.
Local families were able to collect pig meal, corn for the hens, white and brown flour for bread and baking. This was vital at a time when few people would have had their own horse and cart, instead they had to rely on pack animals or a small barrow or cart that was pushed by hand. The area in front of the building would have been quite open allowing carts to turn around.
The millstones were cut on the nearby Beanley Moor and several cracked and broken stones, as well as the obvious cut offs are scattered over a wide area. In the 18th and 19th centuries the harder long lasting granite millstones started to be imported from France so this local industry would have ceased, though stone for building and troughs would still have been cut up on the moor.
On 21st January 1893 the mill was totally destroyed by fire. It was spotted at 1am by the curate as he was getting ready for bed and the villagers were roused. Mr Bolam, who held the lease and lived in Alnwick, was notified presumably by someone who would have had to ride through the dark on this frosty night. He then got help from the Duke of Northumberland's fire engine which was kept at Home Farm in Hulne Park. This was a horse drawn vehicle with up to 12 firemen sitting back to back on top while it rushed to the scene arriving around 5am. The villagers worked heroically to carry water from the burn. The nearby kiln and haystack were saved but the damage to the mill was almost total. It was covered by insurance and was rebuilt.
Unfortunately in 1913 it caught fire again - see the photo - and this time it was decided not to rebuild as a mill and it was agreed that it would be converted into the present Village Hall. This was done at a cost of £700 using funds from subscribers and money raised from sales of work.
(Source: 'Eglingham, A Northumberland Village Explored' by Jean Findlay)