History of St Agatha's Hall
In the 1880's, the railway tunnel from Oxted to Hurst Green was dug, and a hut made of railway sleepers was erected for the use of the navvies. It was sited near where St Agatha's Hall stands today, and the few residents of Hurst Green and the neighbouring hamlet of Holland, as well as the workmen, used it for social events and for church services. When the tunnel and railway works were completed the navvies moved away.
A local church family named Hussey paid for a larger and more permanent hall to be built, the one we know today. It stood on common land and was opened in 1895. Like its predecessor, it served the Hurst Green community as both church and hall. It was dedicated to St Agatha, a Sicilian saint. The reason for this unusual dedication is not known but it is suggested that it was because most of the navvies employed on the railway works were Italian. Alternatively, it is said the building was dedicated to St Agatha in memory of the Hussey's daughter who died very young. Early photographs show that St Agatha's Hall was once enclosed within a fence, and cows grazed around it on the Green. St Agatha's continued as the church of Hurst Green until 1913, when St John's was built and consecrated. Thereafter it has served as a social centre for meetings and events.
After the disastrous fire in St John's in 1988, St Agatha's resumed its function as a church. For two years until St John's was restored, all Anglican Sunday services in Hurst Green took place there.
A local church family named Hussey paid for a larger and more permanent hall to be built, the one we know today. It stood on common land and was opened in 1895. Like its predecessor, it served the Hurst Green community as both church and hall. It was dedicated to St Agatha, a Sicilian saint. The reason for this unusual dedication is not known but it is suggested that it was because most of the navvies employed on the railway works were Italian. Alternatively, it is said the building was dedicated to St Agatha in memory of the Hussey's daughter who died very young. Early photographs show that St Agatha's Hall was once enclosed within a fence, and cows grazed around it on the Green. St Agatha's continued as the church of Hurst Green until 1913, when St John's was built and consecrated. Thereafter it has served as a social centre for meetings and events.
After the disastrous fire in St John's in 1988, St Agatha's resumed its function as a church. For two years until St John's was restored, all Anglican Sunday services in Hurst Green took place there.