History
Built in 1909 by the widow of Arthur Longman, the Hall along with the adjoining land, was conveyed to the Church for the benefit of the local community to be used as a place of worship for the farmworkers & families who were part of the Shendish estate.
In WW2, the Hall became a clearing station for London evacuees, where local people could select those they could accommodate. When the evacuees arrived, it put an enormous strain upon the local schools, and the Hall was press-ganged into use as an additional classroom for a local School, with children attending for part of the week and evacuees attending for the remaining part.
Later, kitchen space was added and a Canteen, run by the local WVS, provided a mid-day meal to supplement the workers’ rations. After Dunkirk, the Hall became an essential training and lecture hub for the Home Guard.
When peace was declared, the need for the Hall ceased and the organisations wound up. The keys were returned to the Church responsible for maintaining the hall for as long as the original bequest lasted.
After the war, many residents requested the hall be used for social events and the church agreed. A social club was formed and residents of Abbots Rise and Shendish Ridgeway were invited to join. Varied activities and social evenings were frequently arranged, with party games, sing-songs, dancing, and occasionally entertainment by a community member. Every week there would be a whist drive, beetle drive, bingo, a film club, and library service. Annual outings were popular where children travelled free. Younger ones were given a party in the Hall at Christmas, with the usual visit from Santa who gave each child a gift. The older children were taken to a pantomime, very often to the Golders Green Hippodrome.
A youth club was formed and was provided with a dart board, table tennis table, and billiards/snooker table. The committee had contact with other clubs in the area and regularly held darts or table tennis matches at home and away. The Youth Club also had social evenings
Over the years, a major source of income came from letting out the Hall for private functions.
In the 60’s the original bequest had run out and the Church could no longer fund the upkeep of the hall. To keep the facility in the hands of the community, the Rucklers Lane (Kings Langley) Community Association was set up with trustees safeguarding the integrity of its functions. On 10 March 1967 a constitution was agreed setting out its aims and objectives.
In 1990, to enable the Association to become a registered charity the Constitution was amended and remained in force until June 2023.
Sadly, due to dwindling interest and loss of committee members, the hall and services ceased and remained dormant between the 1990s and 2019.
A new Committee was formed in July 2019 and is working hard to resurrect the social activities once enjoyed at the Hall. An updated Constitution was presented and approved by the Charity Commission, and members at the AGM in 2023/4.