history
by hanna lindon
The curious case of Freshfield Hall A generous gift, a mysterious fire and an illustrious visitor Forest Row Village Hall’s history has it all.
Standing guard over the main road as it runs through the centre of Forest Row, Freshfield Hall is the heart of this lively community. It might not have the rambling charm of the village’s oldest buildings or the historic pedigree of eminent nearby mansions such as Kidbrooke Park and Brambletye House, but the hall has its own fascinating story to tell. The original building was a gift from the Freshfields of Kidbrooke Park. The Freshfield family business was founded in the late 18th century. Today, with 28 offices in 17 jurisdictions around the world, it is a member of the Magic Circle of British law firms. Back in 1874, the business was already enjoying enough success for the founder’s son, Henry Ray Freshfield, to purchase an estate with 200 acres on the outskirts of Forest Row; and from then on the family took a keen interest in local affairs. The proceedings that led to the Ashdown Forest being placed in the hands of conservators were initiated by Henry Freshfield, who felt passionately that the area should be preserved for public enjoyment. In 1891, tragedy struck the Freshfield family.
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In 1874, Freshfield’s law firm was enjoying enough success for the founder’s son to buy a 200 acre estate just outside Forest Row.
Henry’s 14-year-old grandson died suddenly, and the family decided to commemorate him through a memorial gift to Forest Row. If you look up carefully at the painted ornamentation above the front door of the village hall, you’ll see the words In Memoriam alongside the Freshfield family motto Nobilitatis virtus non stemma character, which translates as ‘virtue, not lineage, is the mark of nobility’. In ‘A Centenary Celebration of Forest Row Village Hall 1892-1992’, Eric Byford writes that the Hall cost the princely sum of £2,000 to build and significantly more to equip. “It was 43 feet long and 23 feet wide, with the disposition of the rooms in the fore part of the building very much as they are today; and the hall and the stage,” he says. “Warmth was provided by a large open fireplace behind which were hot air chambers into the room through the
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