As we look forward to celebrating Village Halls Week, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the history of community spaces in Hadlow Down — and the important role they have played in village life for more than a century.
Hadlow Down’s first “village hall” was not a hall at all, but a large wooden building known locally as the Red Triangle Hut. Originally owned by the YMCA and erected on land donated by the Eridge Estate, it opened on 8 June 1921 and was officially opened by Princess Marie Louise, Queen Victoria’s last grandchild. From the very beginning it became the beating heart of village life.
The Hut hosted everything from parties, concerts and wedding receptions to club meetings and community gatherings. The Horticultural Society, the British Legion, drama groups, social clubs and many others all met there, making it a lively and much-loved focal point for the village.
By the 1960s the building was beginning to show its age, and in 1965 the Red Triangle Hut was replaced by the village hall we know today, continuing the tradition of bringing people together for events, performances and celebrations.
More than 100 years after the opening of the Hut, the spirit behind it remains the same. As we celebrate Village Halls Week, we’re reminded that these spaces are at the heart of rural communities — and why our work to build a new Community Centre for Hadlow Down is so important for the generations to come.
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