The building known as Chidham Village Hall was built as a ‘floor-malting’ malthouse and was part of a larger complex which included a well, pump house, granary and cottage.
Did you know?
Malt is grain that has been artificially germinated, with the germination process stopped at a critical point by kiln drying. The most common grain to be malted is barley, used extensively in the production of beer and whisky and in the food industry.
Thomas Bennett built the Chidham malthouse between 1833 and 1836. He was a farmer from Bosham who owned land and property in the area in Bosham, as well as south of the A259 main road between Chidham Lane and Cot Lane. Thomas Bennett died young at the age of 30 in 1837 and so it fell to his widow Eliza to run the farm until her death in 1860.
Did you know?
In Victorian times many people died young, at birth or in early childhood. This was due to infectious diseases like smallpox, tuberculosis and influenza. Possibly due to the first epidemic of cholera from 1831, by 1850 average life expectancy at birth was just 40 for men and 42 for women. By 1900, with better fresh water and sanitation, life expectancy was 45 for men and 50 for women. In 2023 in West Sussex it was 81 for men and 84 for women, a huge improvement!
After Eliza’s death the Malthouse was purchased by Nutbourne farmer John Wyatt and, in 1875, by brothers Algernon and Herbert Sutton. They had also bought the Prince of Wales public house in Havant in 1872 and so the malthouse helped them produce their own malt for brewing beer!
With the growth of the big breweries in the early 1900s, small village malthouses became far less profitable and so Chidham malthouse fell into disuse. In 1921 it was purchased by Westbourne Rural District Council, the local authority until 1933, in theory to be used for council housing by virtue of the ‘Housing of the Working Classes Act 1890’. But by 1925 nothing had happened with the building, so Chidham Women’s Institute began renting the building from Westbourne Council as a local meeting venue.
Did you know?
In 1919 a law was passed making it a legal requirement for all local authorities to provide council housing for those local people that needed homes, but it seems clear that Westbourne RDC did little to make suitable use of the Chidham malthouse!
In 1927 Chidham W.I. purchased the malthouse, with a loan from Major Beale of Cobnor, and in 1932 the W.I. gifted the building to the Parish for use as a village hall. After major renovations from 1949, with the former granary and pump house demolished to create a car park, Chidham Village Hall was officially opened by the Duke of Richmond and Gordon in 1950 (below).
Did you know?
Duke of Richmond and Gordon is a Peerage of England and, since 1791, every one of the Dukes bar one has been called Charles Gordon-Lennox. The current Duke lives in Goodwood House and actually has three official titles – Duke of Richmond, Duke of Lennox and Duke of Gordon, as well as the subsidiary titles of Earl of March, Earl of Darnley, Earl of Kinrara, Baron Settrington and Lord Torbolton!
Chidham Village Hall became a registered charity in 1996 and has undergone major improvement programs over the last ten years including disabled access with a lift, new toilets, a downstairs kitchen and new screen and sound system on the stage upstairs for film showings, plays, parties and events. The hall also often features live music and bands.
- See more about Chidham Village Hall for up to 80 people – click here
- For booking enquiries contact Jane Towers on 01243 576580 or e mail
- Chidham and Hambrook Film Society with monthly films – click here
- Read the history of Chidham and Hambrook Village Hall – click here