History

The 1905 hall
The main part of the Village Hall was built in 1905 (at a cost of £1,100) by the generosity of Mr Elliott Till. At his death in 1917 it was bought by Lady Emily Hart Dyke of Lullingstone Castle, to continue its availability to the village.

In 1928, ownership of the land and Hall was passed to Trustees to be run on behalf of the village.

A survey in 1934 noted cracks in the walls and stated that the wall behind the stage should be monitored as its closeness to the river made it necessary to watch the foundations.  These problems eventually became acute 70 years later.

In 1940 the kitchen in the corner of the Hall was completed. In 1947, Sir William Hart Dyke sold Institute Cottage (next to the Hall) to the Trustees for £50.  Since 1992, the cottage has provided accommodation for caretakers of the Village Hall.

The next major improvement to the Hall was the addition of the Darenth Room, which was completed in 1969.  This was followed by the River Room in 1973; this was a huge improvement on the previous decrepit storage and changing rooms behind the stage.

That essentially completed the present Hall apart from the addition of the Millennium Porch in the year 2000 that both commemorated the event and provided an improved entrance to the Hall.  In 2005, a plaque was added to the outside wall to mark the 100th anniversary of the original building.

 

This book Eynsford Village Hall, The Heart of Village Life 1905 – 2005 presents the hall’s contribution to the village in 70 pages.  Well illustrated with many historic photographs. Written by William Alexander and available at £5. Please request via the contact page.