Chiddingstone Causeway
The above photo (plus reverse) was sent to the Society by Ian Harwood. It came from a family bible given to his grandfather, William Harwood and is believed to picture him, marked with a cross, and his older sister and one of his brothers. The photo shows a group of about 70 children and some adults posing in front of the Mission Hall in 1906/07.
I have not been able to locate where this Mission Hall was at Chiddingstone Causeway, although from the photo there does appear to be a spire behind it, so perhaps it was near St Luke’s church. Ordnance survey maps give only one village hall – located where the new Causeway Hall is today. Perhaps this was the original Mission Hall.
Additional information suggests that Chiddingstone Village Hall was originally built by the Hills family* and may have been run as a Mission Hall. In 1881 (census) Rebecca Moyce was living in Charcott (a quarter of a mile away) and reported her occupation as in charge of a mission hall (there was no such hall in Charcott itself), implying there was a separate Mission Hall, probably with connections to the Chapel circuit in the area, more detail of which is in the Village Messenger see Leigh Chapel. With St Luke’s Church not being built until 1898 and St Saviour’s only in 1887, it seems possible that the hall ‘down the hill’ may have been used as a church hall for many years prior to Causeway getting its own church. The village hall is remembered as a corrugated steel structure: whether this was or became the Mission Hall is not known. The following article of 1887 refers to St Saviour’s and also to a schoolroom (which had been used for divine worship). Did this schoolroom become the Mission Hall? We know that the iron church of St Saviour’s was replaced by the new Church of St Luke’s.
St Saviour’s, the earlier church at Causeway, opening in 1887, was also an iron structure. Before that, there was probably no need for a CoE church in the area – an article from the Courier of 23 December 1887, however, now wrote of a need: “Chiddingstone Causeway – a new church. Yesterday, the opening of the new Church of St Saviour at Chiddingstone Causeway took place. The new building is an evidence of the efforts of the church to meet the need of centres of population as they spring up in various directions out of easy reach of the parish, and the little hamlet which has come into existence around Penshurst railway station, has its spiritual requirements now amply provided for, thanks to the generosity of F. C. Hills Esq who is always ready to promote every undertaking for the good of those among whom he dwells. The schoolroom had formerly been used for divine worship, an apse containing the altar are being partitioned off during the week days, but the accommodation had become insufficient, and with the appointment of the Rev W J Salt MA as curate in charge, an ecclesiastical district for a new church was formed out of the parishes of Chiddingstone, Leigh and Penshurst Mr Hills not only gave a suitable site on the Leigh Road but bore the cost of erecting an iron church with complete internal fittings such as seating, heating apparatus etc…”.
The local papers also report that St Luke’s Church at Chiddingstone Causeway was not built until 1898: the Free Press of 22 October 1898 says that the new church … on the site formerly occupied by the iron structure near Penshurst Station was opened on Tuesday . . . the church opened on St Luke’s day, the church is named after that evangelist.
However, nothing further appears in the local papers about the Missioin Hall at Causeway.
The Band of Hope was a movement active in Leigh and the area from the 1880s until the First World War – a national movement, with the aim go give children entertaining things to do including outings and talks about the evils of drink and the Christian message. It was supported by the non-conformist/chapel movement in Leigh and surrounding villages and mentioned in the Village Messenger and Faithful Words publications frequently. The Leigh Historical Society has a copy of the Village Messenger from 1885-1887 and additional information is on this website under Leigh Chapel.
None of the above helps identify exactly where this Mission Hall was located, but if anyone has any further information, do please contact this Society.
Joyce Field (June 2025)
*Mr Hills was Frank Clarke Hills (1808-1892) of Redleaf Estate, Penshurst, who made his wealth as a manufacturing chemist, his business based in Deptford. This enabled him to buy the Redleaf Estate and leave over £2 million in his Will. (Sources via Find My Past and Ancestry.com websites). He died in 1892; his heir, Frank Ernest Hills died in 1895 and left the Redleaf estate to his wife, Constance (died 1932). Frank Clarke Hills became one of the early subscribers to the Leigh Schools and a member of the School Committee there. Therefore, he clearly supported financially many undertakings in the area.