History Of The Hall
The present day Five Wents Memorial Hall has been run as a charity constituted under the name of “Swanley War Memorial Institute” since 14th March 1939, but has had its foundational routes much earlier. It was officially opened by Lady Emily Dyke on the the day following Armistice Day, 12th November 1921 to honour the memory of those local servicemen that fell in the First World War. The local communities around Swanley all participated in raising funds to celebrate the peace following the 11th November 1918, and after much discussion this hall was erected., along with a monument now situated in the grounds of St Mary’s Church, Swanley (Junction), (see note below).
The Memorial Hall was originally a brick hut, 60 feet long by 25 feet wide and was part of the YMCA building at Parkwood Convalescent Home, Beechenlea Lane, (now Parkwood Hall School). It was purchased by funds raised by local communities for £800 and taken down brick by brick and re-erected on the corner site at Five Wents where it stands today, though now a much more substantial building due to various extensions and refurbishments over the intervening years.
