Endlesham Hall serves as a vital community hub, welcoming 25,000 visits each year. But our ageing 1930s building struggles to meet today's needs — and without urgent action, we risk losing this essential community resource.
The Hall Today
An ageing building in desperate need of investment
Despite its popularity, our tired building faces mounting challenges that threaten its future. Without significant investment, the hall could soon close its doors.
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The roof leaks, the heating fails regularly, and essential systems are breaking down faster than we can fix them.
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Outdated heating and poor insulation drive up energy bills, draining vital resources for programs and maintenance.
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Poor internal soundproofing restricts our ability to host multiple activities at the same time, and risks creating noise for our neighbours.
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Narrow doorways, stairs without ramps, and an inaccessible layout exclude some groups altogether.
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Despite the building's large footprint, its rigid layout limits how different groups can use the facility, and prevents it from adapting to what the community needs today
The wider challenge
An ongoing housing crisis
As we've considered the hall's future and how it can best continue serving local needs, we couldn't ignore the housing emergency right on our doorstep. Rising prices, stagnant wages, and limited inventory have created a perfect storm that shows no signs of letting up.
Young people across London are particularly vulnerable — and in Wandsworth, where residents aged 20-44 make up half our population, the crisis is especially acute.
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London rents are nearly double the England average, and with one of the highest concentrations of private renters, Wandsworth residents face mounting pressure. As housing costs continue to soar, many lower-income households are forced out, finding the place they call home increasingly unaffordable.
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Over the past decade, just 6% of new homes built in Wandsworth have been for social rent, while 1.3 million households nationwide remain on waiting lists with little hope of relief.
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People in essential but low-paid jobs — carers, teaching assistants, retail workers — face an impossible choice: spend most of their income on rent, or leave the neighbourhood entirely.
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Almost a quarter of a million under-25s in London have stayed in unsafe places because they have nowhere else to go. For young adults trying to start careers, build relationships, or establish independent lives, this crisis means delayed milestones, financial instability, and precarious living situations.
Reimagining Endlesham Hall
Using our site to its full potential and expanding community value
Over the past decade, we've explored every option to save the hall and learned that fully refurbishing our 1930s building would cost more than rebuilding — while still leaving us with fundamental limitations.
Redevelopment allows us to not only protect this vital community asset, but extend its impact by adding seven high-quality, affordable homes for young people above the community space.
With a new building, we can:
Create a fully accessible, inclusive layout — no longer limited by outdated architecture
Design flexible spaces that adapt with community needs, support a wide variety of uses, and create more opportunities for local people
Build sustainably — dramatically reducing our running costs and environmental impact
Provide genuinely affordable homes for 18-35 year-olds, offering a safe and stable place to flourish as they begin their adulthood
Generate sustainable income to keep the hall affordable and accessible for the wider community in the long term
What’s next?
The Trust is now working hand in hand with key partners, dedicated volunteers, and the local Council to develop a new building on the original site. This purpose-built facility will better meet our community's needs today while creating a lasting legacy for the next generation.