For Village Halls week 2020 we are celebrating the contribution that some of our members have to their community by sharing the history of their hall/community space!
The East Boldre Village Hall is a unigue, interesting hall having had a number of recent, significant events and it is quirky indeed!
East Boldre was the site of one of the world’s first flying schools between 1910 and 1912, and the airfield was taken over by the Royal Flying Corps as a training station in 1915. The hall itself was built towards the end of World War 1 and is the only remaining WW1 building left of the 148 military buildings (not counting water towers, fuel tanks etc.) built on the site.
The hall is unique in that it is the only such building in operation on Crown grazing land, and the only remaining WW1 building of this sort in the New Forest. It is quirky not only for being surrounded by grazing animals, but also in that it was built as a concert hall and still has its original, magnificent stage.
It is the spiritual home of 84 Squadron RAF, the only remaining Squadron from the First World War. The Village Hall team have staged several celebratory events over the last few years, from the centenary of the flying school in 2010 to the centenary of 84 Squadron in 2017. There is a treasure trove of information and photographs on the Village Hall website, available at this link.
