The land known as the “Recreation Ground” now incorporating Oakwood Hill village hall and the cricket ground used by Oakwood Hill Cricket Club was acquired in the late 19th century. The land was, purchased by public subscription and conveyed to the parish of Okewood, (presumably regarded as a “safe pair of hands”) with the Rector and Churchwardens appointed as “Administrative Trustees” by deed dated 1911.
Although the site was not purchased by the Church it was conveyed to them and is now vested in the Diocesan Board of Finance as “Custodian Trustee”. Effectively it is a Church Hall.
According to records in the Surrey History Centre, the village hall was constructed in 1911 and the building structure came from Volvens Farm in Mole Street, Ockley. Before the village hall was erected the village used to have local dances in the Punchbowl Inn. During World War 2 the building was taken over by an insurance company relocating from London.
Over the years, the hall was used by local people for functions and celebrations, by the parish council for meetings and as a polling station. The annual Flower Show also used the hall as a key part of the facilities. Since the 1970’s, the hall has been hired by two different music bands for rehearsals.
Up until 2006 the village hall was managed by members of the Okewood Church congregation and local residents and it is fair to say the building was in poor condition and had been neglected for many years.
In 2006 a public meeting was convened to establish whether the hall had a future and as a result of a positive response at that meeting a new management committee was formed consisting of 6 members of the local community with Barry Thomson acting as Chairman and representative of Okewood parish.
Over the next 10 years considerable works of repair, improvement and extension were carried out in 4 main phases, led by Bill King and Grant Pearman, which were funded primarily by grant aid from Surrey Community Action (SCA), with additional smaller grants by Gatwick Airport and Abinger parish council. SCA provided two-thirds of project costs with committee members providing “self-build” contribution representing the remaining third. The projects were:-
A special mention must be made of the village hall committee over the above period including Elaine & Grant Pearman, Sharon Reilly, Bill & Val King, Gill Fairs, Derek Osborne, Dave Pay, with support from Sean Reilly, Jaqui Pay, David King, Lis Osborne, Phil Fairs and Mike Brady. Barry Thomson acted as chairman between 2006 and 2023.
In the 2023 a new committee was formed to take the village hall forward. The responsibility was handed over to Nigel Bingham (Chair), Jane Hurst (Bookings and Grants) Martin Smith (Treasurer) Emily Parker (Web and IT) and Rupert Harding (Parish Rep). A Website was commissioned, fast broadband installed, and an online booking system put in place.
Two further refurbishment projects were undertaken, replacement of the wooden cladding and improvement of the car park surface. A call was put out to the village for volunteers to help remove the existing cladding and a good number of villagers turned up one weekend in September 2023 armed with hammers and ladders. Much of the removed wood was recycled. A local builder was then employed to reclad the building with new long-life cladding as approved by the Mole Valley Council Heritage department. This work was part funded by grants from Mole Valley Council and Village Hall reserves.
In July 2024 a solar power system was installed, again funded by the local council, and this has substantially reduced electricity costs and provided a reliable village hub during power cuts.
Currently the hall is hired by a regular Pilates class, a weekly free seniors exercise class (in conjunction with Dorking Leisure Centre), A local choir, two local bands, a dog training group, a local cycle club, and various children’s parties as well as other private functions. A few community events are also held such as Christmas Wreath making, Macmillan Coffee morning and, of course the annual Okewood, Ockley Forest Green Summer Fair & Flower Show.
