Discover Balcombe's Rich History

---

To stimulate interest in Balcombe history and the surrounding area; to encourage the identification and preservation of buildings, artefacts, written material, photographs, and pictures of local historical interest; and to conduct research projects, arrange local history talks, and other activities that contribute to the knowledge and understanding of the area's past, including topics like Lady Denman and the Neville Lytton Great War Murals in Victory Hall Balcombe. 

Membership is £10 per year, which includes admission to six talks in 2026. 

Non-Members are welcome for an entrance fee of £5.00 (cash only), which includes tea, coffee, and biscuits.  

TALKS BEGIN AT 7.00pm in THE VICTORY HALL, BALCOMBE.

THE WOMAN'S LAND ARMY talk is a ticket only event to be held at Balcombe Place.

STEVE DUKE is a gardener with a passion for local history.  

He will draw us in to the dramatic story of local riots that took place in the autumn of 1830 when mechanised farming threatened the livelihoods of rural people.

ROY CLARE CBE DL. is an experienced speaker and retired Rear Admiral. 

 He will tell us of the naval adventures of Fitzroy, Darwin, and the Beagle.

To be held at Balcombe Place, the home of Lady Denman, which was the HQ of the Women’s Land Army during World War Two, with the talk by Dr JOHN GODFREY, Sussex historian and academic at 7.00pm.  

A ticket only event: £5.00 members, £10.00 non-members.  Doors open 6.00pm.  

A Licensed Bar will be available & complimentary tea and coffee.

Dr JONATHAN OATES, author of 23 best-selling books, will deliver a portrait of the notorious serial killer, John George Haigh, known as the Acid Bath Murderer, noting his connections to Crawley, Horsham and Lewes.  

Copies of the book will be available.

Local teacher ANDY REVELL invites us into the unlikely story of a vicar’s wife, a Brighton fortune teller and a vast fortune, much of which took place in Cuckfield.

JULIAN BELL is a curator at the Weald and Downland museum and will focus on a recent project: the rescue of the Eastwick dairy at Great Bookham.

A welcome return for IAN GLEDHILL, who will put us in a festive mood with his inside knowledge of the art of pantomime. 

Painted in 1923 by Neville Lytton, the Great War Murals in Balcombe's Victory Hall depict a series of life-size scenes  on the theme of 'War and Peace.'   

Commissioned by Lady Gertrude Denman, the hall and its murals are now a Grade II listed building and a unique tribute to the fallen.

Guided tours, inspired by Roy Bliss's book REMEMBERED, provide insights into the murals' history and the stories they convey. 

 Use the Contact Us button below 

to arrange your visit.

REMEMBERED by Roy Bliss tells the story of the Balcombe Great War Murals and the artist who created them, Neville Lytton, and highlights an important aspect of Balcombe history. 

Use the Contact Us button below to arrange the purchase of a copy.

BALCOMBE AT WAR is an illustrated 104-page account detailing the impact of World War One on the local history of Balcombe and its people. 

Chapters include Life on the Home Front,  recruiting for the armed forces, Men from Balcombe who Fell in the War, Actions where Balcombe men lost their lives, Stories from the War and Peace, War Memorial and the Victory Hall.

Use the Contact Us button below to arrange to purchase a copy.

Molly Kerr lived at The Russettings in Balcombe, with her father, Frederick, ‘Baron Frankenstein’ in the Hollywood classic, FRANKENSTEIN (1931).  Her brother, Geoffrey, wrote the screenplay for JASSY (1947) for Margaret Lockwood and her nephew John Kerr appeared in the films TEA AND SYMPATHY and SOUTH PACIFIC.  

Molly took part in Balcombe Women’s Institute entertainments in the Victory Hall, was a good friend of Lady Denman and acted in the West End and on Broadway with Noel Coward in his first great success, THE VORTEX.  Alongside her acting career she became the youngest ever female producer of plays in London and is buried in St. Mary’s churchyard.  

Why did she retire aged only 25?

Read WHAT HAPPENED TO MOLLY KERR? by Andrew Hall.

£12 or £16 to include packing and U.K. postage from the publisher only.

Email: threeisacollection@gmail.com

www.threeisacollection.org/kerr/biography.html