Victory Hall

Summary

Village hall, initially built as a former working men’s institute in around 1901, heavily extended and remodelled as a memorial village hall and social club in 1923, designed by founder Lady Gertrude Denman working with the architect John Bond, it includes a set of frescos by the artist Neville Lynton, and further extended later in the C20.

Reasons for Designation

Victory Hall, Balcombe, Mid Sussex is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* for the highly evocative murals within the main hall designed by the artist Neville Lynton depicting scenes based around the theme of War and Peace.

* for its good quality 1920s remodelling.

Historic interest:

* for its association with the halls’ founder Lady Denman, a prominent national figure who helped found the National Federation of Women’s Institutes in 1916, and who worked closely with the architect John Bond in the building’s design.

History

In 1901 plans by Gerald C Hursley of Gray’s Inn Square, London, were drawn up for a Working Men’s Club and Institute in Balcombe; it included a reading room, store above and accommodation for staff. The completed building had an L-shaped footprint, including large gable ends either side (north-east and south-west) of the reading room, and a small porch to the north.

Soon after the end of the First World War, the Institute formed a committee to consider an appropriate memorial to commemorate the conflict. Initially chaired by local resident Lord Denman, the third Baron Denman, and fifth Governor-General of Australia, plans were made for a memorial hall. In 1920 his wife, Lady Denman, took over the chairmanship of the committee and helped to fund the building work. A contemporary news article records the architect for this redevelopment as John Bond, who is reported as working closely with Lady Denman on the design. The work included a new symmetrical front range to the north-east, and an additional wing containing the memorial hall and Women’s Institute room to the south-east. The former reading room was incorporated within the north-west wing, including its large north-west gable end; this wing became the Balcombe Men’s social club. The residential accommodation was also retained (also referred to as the steward’s cottage) to the rear.

The building’s official opening took place on 10 November 1923, presided over by Mr Digby Hawrooth Booth, chairman of the management committee. The war memorial plaque within the building was unveiled by Lord Denman. In attendance were members of the committee including Lady Denman, local residents and other notable guests including Sir Edwin Lutyens and his son Robert Lutyens. The memorial hall was decorated with large frescos, entitled War and Peace, by the artist Neville Lynton.

There are committee records of the memorial hall being used during the Second World War for dances as well as film screenings. Various modifications took place during the mid-C20 including repairs to the roof. In 1976 the south end of the north-west wing was partially rebuilt and extended. In the mid-1980s, following damage from dirt and water seepage, the hall underwent restoration. In early 1990 further extensions were made to the north-west wing including creating an additional first-floor residential flat. Soon after a single-storey-storey flat-roof extension was added between the two wings, this also involved the repositioning of a rear external fire escape. In 1996 a clock with a decorative wrought-iron frame was added above the main entrance.

The hall’s founder, Gertrude Mary Denman (née Pearson; 1884-1954) resided at Balcombe Place, her family home. Throughout her life she was heavily involved in several national organisations. In 1916 she helped found the National Federation of Women’s Institutes. She was elected its first chairperson and was annually re-elected to the position until her retirement in 1946. She was also the head of the women’s branch of the Ministry of Agricultural and served as Director of the Women's Land Army which she helped to re-establish during the Second World War.

Neville Stephen Lynton (1879–1951), third Earl of Lynton, was a painter, writer and collector who trained at École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. At the start of the First World War he joined the Royal Sussex Regiment where he reached the rank of major and saw military action at the Somme and Amiens; he later became a war correspondent. During the conflict, Lynton sketched scenes of soldiers in the trenches.

Details

Village hall, initially built as a former working men’s institute in around 1901, heavily extended and remodelled as a memorial village hall and social club in 1923, designed by founder Lady Gertrude Denman working with the architect John Bond, it includes a set of frescos by the artist Neville Lynton, and further extended later in the C20.

The boundary walls* and brick entrance steps* are not included in the listing.

MATERIALS: brown bricks laid in stretcher bond, with brick and ashlar detailing; later alterations and additions in red brick. The hipped roofs are covered in clay tiles, with a flat asphalt roof infill to the rear.

PLAN: the building has a U-shaped plan with the front elevation facing north-east and the wings extending to the south-west. The hall and former Women’s Institute meeting room are located in the south-east wing and Balcombe club facility, and a residential flat is within the north-west wing. Between the two wings, there is a flat-roof infill which includes the dining room and kitchen facilities.

EXTERIOR: a largely single-storey, Domestic-Revival style building with attic level; there is also a two-storey, north-west wing. The building stands on a raised position above street level. The symmetrical front elevation, with stretcher-bond brickwork, has a recessed entrance bay which is flanked by a pair of projecting hipped-roof pavilions. All the ground floor openings are topped by brick segmental arches. The central entrance is accessed via a set of brick steps and includes a double-leaf panelled door with multi-pane glazing. The door is flanked by narrow six-light casements and additional wider casements. The entrance is topped by a plaque reading ‘VICTORY HALL BALCOMBE CLUB’. Above is a brick parapet, topped by a metal clock with scrolled railings. Behind the parapet is the hipped roof which includes a hipped-roof dormer window. The flanking pavilions have central four-light multi-pane windows and ashlar quoins. There are further casements within both the inner and outer returns. Against each of the pavilions’ outer returns is a tall lateral brick stack. The pavilions are topped by hipped roofs with hipped roof dormers. A plaque has been added to the north pavilion, dedicated to the founder Lady Gertrude Denman by the West Sussex Federation of the Women’s Institute and marking the Federation’s centenary on 21 September 2017.

The south-east wing has a slightly higher roof than the front range. The wing’s long south-east elevation has red brick on the lower level and brown brick above. The brick on this side is laid in English Bond, with a brick drip-mould band. It has six bays divided by projecting brick pilasters with tapering capitals. The outer bays contain double-leaf panel doors. The four central bays contain large multi-pane windows. At the south end of the wing, there is a small projecting bay with two casement windows. The wing’s rear and north-west elevation have further casement windows and a rear single-leaf doorway.

The north-west wing is two storeys. This wing has been modified and extended in the late C20 and is largely red brick with a stretcher bond. At the north end is a gable-end bay with a pair of tall multi-casement windows, similar to the south-west wing, and has a brown-brick corner pilaster. Further south the bay is set slightly back, with ground-floor casement windows and a row of gable dormer windows within the roof. The rear elevation has two ground-floor doors and a large gable dormer; there are two phases of brickwork at this end.
To the rear, a late-C20 flat-roof extension has been built between the two wings. The rear elevation has a pair of multi-pane French windows with an overhanging pitched tile roof above. A late-C20 fire escape leads up to the roof and provides access to the accommodation above the north-west wing. Beyond is an upper floor to the rear of the building’s front range; this has further casement windows and an additional brick stack.

INTERIOR: the T-shaped entrance hall walls are lined in timber panelling and several panelled doors with cast-iron handles; the area also includes a hexagonal tile floor, low radiators, stepped skirting and metal vents, and a central roof light. Directly opposite the entrance door are a pair of fluted Doric timber pilasters. Between the pilasters, timber panelling incorporates a Roll of Honour with a dedication reading ‘THIS HALL WAS BUILT IN MEMORY OF THE BALCOMBE MEN WHO SERVED IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918’. Below are three panels with the names of those who served in the First World War. The memorial is flanked by two doorways, the right has been blocked and the left has a double-leaf partially glazed panelled door. Further carved dedications have been added to the panelling including the opening on 10 November 1923 and a commemoration for the building’s Diamond Jubilee in 1983.

Within the south-east pavilion is the former Women’s Institute room. It retains tall skirting and panelled doors and timber architraves, including a large pair of double doors which lead through to the hall. There is a boarded-up chimneypiece with a surround topped by a pulvinated mantel shelf. The counters attached to the walls are later additions. In the ceiling, a replacement hatch with an attached folding ladder leads to an attic level which includes a former projector room with a timber plank door and apertures that overlook the adjacent hall.

The memorial hall is within the south-east wing; at the far end is a stage flanked by additional small rooms. The memorial hall includes timber panelling, similar to that found in the entrance hall, which extends around the lower half of the walls. There are various single and double-leaf panelled doors, and a section of the panelling in the north-west corner has been hinged to provide access to storage behind. Neville Lynton’s ‘War and Peace’ frescos run around the upper level of the hall walls. They were created using the true-fresco technique, achieved by applying paint to wet plaster, and depict scenes from the First World War. Starting from the wall above the main hall entrance (east), the fresco depicts a casualty of war being carried on a stretcher, flanked by German prisoners of war and British soldiers on either side. Further scenes of war and wounded soldiers continue around the south wall, which has rougher plaster than the other walls. To the west, on either side of the stage, the allegorical figures of Dolor (Sorrow; south-west corner) and Spes (Hope, north-west corner) are shown. Finally, the north fresco depicts soldiers returning home to their families, and scenes of village life after the war. The figures include portraits of real-life residents of Balcombe and those working on the development of the building, including Lady Denman looking over plans for Victory Hall with the architect. There is also a self-portrait of Neville Lynton playing the flute, alongside his second wife playing the guitar and his daughter dancing.

The north-west pavilion and wing contain the social club bar* and lounge*; this area has been subject to various phases of alteration and refurbishment including the removal of internal partitions, and the replacement of several fittings including the bar counters. Further south, the wing includes the billiards room*, created through the removal of internal partitions and extensions in the late C20. Above this wing are a pair of residential flats*. Within the 1990’s flat-roof infill, between the two wings, is a dining area and kitchen*.

* Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that these aforementioned features are not of special architectural or historic interest. However, any works to these structures and/or features which have the potential to affect the character of the listed building as a building of special architectural or historic interest may still require Listed Building Consent (LBC) and this is a matter for the Local Planning Authority (LPA) to determine.

Sources

Websites
Mid-Sussex District Council online planning register: BA/002/76, 1976; BA/057/90/AP1, 1990; BA/016/92, 1992; BA/011/96, 1996, accessed 30 January 2023 from https://pa.midsussex.gov.uk/online-applications/
Balcombe Victory Hall entry, accessed 30 January 2023 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/208841/
Balcombe Victory Hall entry, accessed 30 January 2023 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/16646
Victory Hall frescos, accessed 30 January 2023 from http://ww1centenary.oucs.ox.ac.uk/material/the-art-of-remembering-the-neville-lytton-first-world-war-frescos-and-the-balcombe-victory-hall-2/
Denman [née Pearson], Gertrude Mary, Lady Denman (1884-1954), accessed 31 January 2023 from https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-32781

Other
Lib/17644, Dutton, Joan, The Murals, Victory Hall, Balcombe (Leaflet), 2005, held by West Sussex Record Office
Balcombe Victory Hall Officially opened, The Mid-Sussex Times, Tuesday 13 November 1923
RD/CU/16/1/2, Plan No. 63. Address: Balcombe. Description: Reading room. 26/04/1901, held by West Sussex Record Office
Various early and mid-C20 photographs, PH 24676, PH 27801, PH 27803, PH 27805, PH 27807, held by West Sussex Record Office
MP 5308, Balcombe Village Hall Committee Minutes, Aug 1939-May 1950, held by West Sussex Record Office

End of official list entry

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