Village Hall & Bar
Ulcombe Village Hall was originally built in 1911, approximately eight miles from Kent Life in Ulcombe Village. The local community raised £500 of the £600 needed to build the hall, and a local builder, Albert Chapman, stepped in to make up the shortfall, by doing the construction for free. In 1978 a new village hall was built in Ulcombe. The old hall which was cold and damp and contained some asbestos, gradually fell into disuse.
Kent Life was offered the hall in 1997 when it was decided that the land the hall stood on would be sold for housing developement. After serving the community for most of the twentieth century the hall was rescued by the Museum for use as an education centre. With the help of the Heritage Lottery Fund grant, the Hall was numbered and dismantled in October 1997 and then repaired and reconstructed at the Museum over a period of twelve months. The building was officially opened in June 2000 by Sir Richard Carew Pole, the grandson of Lady Beatrice Pole-Carew, who first opened the hall in Ulcombe Village in 1911. It retains a flavour of life in the 1950's, as well as now being licensed for civil marrages.
The Village Hall Bar is also open during peek holiday time and event days, selling a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Village Halls are integral to a village community, bringing people with common interests together in a social environment, providing a base for different clubs and activities, parties and village meetings. At the turn of the twentieth century, corrugated iron village halls were a common sight in Kent, offering a cheaper alternative to a brick built and tiled structure, when funds were in short supply. These iron halls are now rare, as most villages have replaced these over time with more modern robust brick structures.
