CAPEL HISTORY TRAIL 

No. 8 - The Scout Hut

Built by Mr (later Sir) Osmond d'Avigdor Goldsmid of Somerhill for the working men of his estate and the parish,The Institue opened in 1902. For many years it was used for meetings and social events before Sir Henry d'Avigdor Goldsmid, who held the honorary position as President of the 9th Tonbridge (1st Capel) Scouts allowed the group to adopt The Institute as its headquarters. The removal of a large billiard table made the premises perfect for Scout meetings.

Later known as the The Scout Hut, it was a substantially constructed wood-framed building clad in corrugated iron which required little attention for the first 50 years of its life. When, in 1960, Mr A R Wickens repaired and repainted it, his charge was £9 3s 6d, a modest sum even then (that's now around £275 - which seems cheaper still). The photo above was taken in 2005.

This link with Five Oak Green's past was demolished in 2017 and a new house, named Baden House with a thoughtful nod to the founder of the Scout Movement, Robert Baden-Powell, now occupies the site.