Woodford Halse
Walk : WAW 014
The stone part of the buildings shown here, now the Community Centre, was given to the Parish by Sir Henry Dryden in 1876, for use as a school for the children of the Parish.
It is said that Sir Henry tried to get the local farmers to join with him in providing a school, but he met with no success, so he went ahead on his own, building the walls to a height of six feet and had them thatched, until he could afford to complete the building.
Some authorities think it more likely that the long wait was because the timber for the roof had to be prepared and seasoned, before it could be put to use.
The school was added to in 1902, the money being raised by public subscription.
The coming of the railway had brought more children to the Parish making expansion an urgent necessity.
Nowadays this latter portion is used for a branch of the County Library and a children’s pre-school. The older part is known as the Dryden Hall and is used for various functions.
