Welcome to our corner of the beautiful New Forest

Since 1928, Bramshaw Village Hall has been the focus of social life here in the New Forest.

Bramshaw is home to a variety of Clubs and Classes with everything from playgroups for young families to pilates, the WI, snooker, a horticultural society, music and social events.

You can find out more about what’s on offer here.

A Brief History of the Village Hall


Early 20th Century: The Mather Gift

In the early 1900s, Mr. William Mather, an industrialist and resident of Bramble Hill House in Bramshaw, generously donated a building to the village, along with the land that the hall, Meadow and car park stand on today. This initial building served as a communal space for local events and gatherings, laying the foundation for a dedicated village hall. This building is also understood to have been the very first dedicated Scout Hut in the UK, as the worldwide movement was beginning to take shape in the early 20th century.

Post-World War I: The Remount

Hut Transformation 

Following World War I, around 1919, the village acquired a surplus Army Remount Depot hut from the extensive Remount Depot which was built in Romsey to import and train horses and soldiers, before moving them out to France to fight. It is estimated that over 500,000 horses came through Romsey Remount Depot from as far afield as America and Canada.

At the end of WWI, many of the buildings from both the Remount Depot and the Brockenhurst-based Lady Hardinge military hospital were sold off - as you travel around the New Forest, you may notice corrugated iron building on farms, some of which are also the remaining forms of these important buildings.

Originally built in October 1914 in Romsey for young men going to war, our Green Hut was taken apart and transported to Bramshaw where it was rebuilt in 1924 - one room to be used as a social club for men and one room for the village as a whole.

Local residents still remember the arrival and the excitement of having such a large building arrive in Bramshaw, one which quickly became the central focus for dances and bands, popular with young people from across the Forest and surrounding areas. Residents remember the verges up and down the road being jam-packed with parked cars, with everyone heading to Bramshaw for nights out.

By the late 20th century, the ageing Hut no longer met the community's needs. Through extensive fundraising efforts and unwavering community support, a new, modern village hall was constructed. This facility continues to serve as a vibrant centre for social, cultural, and recreational activities in Bramshaw.

Late 20th Century: Rebuilding and Modernisation