Waldron Village - local history and information.

Waldron Village

The village of Waldron is small and picturesque with a Church, Public House and war memorial. There is also a Village Hall and adjacent recreation ground with children’s play equipment from which there are far-reaching views over the adjoining countryside. A brand new sports pavilion has been built on the ground which is used by Waldron Cricket Club amongst others.

There is a thriving community spirit and a variety of village events take place throughout the year. Over recent years, three Community Plays have taken place, based in various locations in the village which have been hugely successful. The village also has a Croquet Club, a well-supported Women’s Institute and the Lucas Memorial Hall where many village events are held.

Waldron Cricket Club

The Club was founded in 1757 and the first match recorded was in 1746, making Waldron CC one of the oldest cricket clubs in known history. The 100 year centenary game scheduled for the 24 May 1857 never happened because of heavy snow! The cricket club originally played its home fixtures on church land to the north of the road. However, in 1921 the Lucas family kindly offered the cricket club the use of the existing site, which was both flatter and with better drainage. In June 1923, over a weekend, the surviving men of the 1st World War built a pavilion which was given to Waldron CC by R E Hassell Esq. in the memory of his late brother Lt Col Robert de Bray Hassell OMC. When the floorboards collapsed in the late 1990’s the discarded beer bottles from that original working party were found underneath. They are now kept safely in the Star Inn. The Clubs new pavilion was completed in time for the commencement of the 2007 season (the Club’s 250th anniversary). It had taken since 1992, when the campaign was first conceived, to bring this about and much of the credit for that lies with the Cattam Committee which was formed by helpers from the whole community who wanted to provide and support improved sporting facilities in Waldron village. The Star Inn is the official address of the cricket club and is where some memorabilia is kept.

All Saints Church, Waldron

Thought to be on the site of an even earlier wooden Saxon church, All Saints, a 'jewel' amongst Sussex's churches, was built during the 12th century. The first Rector being Bartholomew in 1195. History shows that the village was visited by Cromwell's troops in the mid 1600's and it is said that the troops rolled the font down the nearby hill. This font has been restored to the church and is said to be one of the three great round Saxon fonts in Sussex. The Church is nestled amidst ancient yews in its conservation grade graveyard on a high ridge with stunning views. The interior, though much restored in the 1860s, is kept open daily, in beautiful condition, for the community, visitors and regular dedicated worshippers. The church has a longstanding tradition for choral inclusion to its services with a fine, disciplined choir, led by dedicated organists. The church also holds a number of choral events throughout the year.

Waldron Community Players

Waldron Community Players was formed in 2001 to generate and sustain community spirit through the medium of drama in the small, rural village of Waldron, East Sussex and to encourage residents of all ages to meet together, share skills and learn about the history and culture of this fine old village. The first production, about village life in the 18th century, was The Smuggler’s Tale. Performed in July 2002, this was a community drama, played mainly outdoors with the audience promenading with the action and moving between three locations: the village square, the church and Nan Tuck’s hovel. The second production in July 2004, was Waldron at War which told the story of the grit and resilience of the villagers who lived through the period of the Second World War 1939 – 45. The third production, The Maid's Story, was performed on 13th, 14th and 15th July 2006. The 2008 project was a film short called 'Finding Esther', shot in June/July 2008 with its first showing in February 2009. It is set in and around the village and is about a 16-year-old village girl who went missing in the 1920s. As a result of the publicity surrounding the film, Sussex police decided to re-open the case and the story went global. It is the intention of Waldron Community Players to continue to use community drama as a vehicle to involve all ages in celebrating the history and culture of this ancient place.