Hurtwood Park Polo Club nestles in the heart of the Surrey hills at Ewhurst. One of the top polo clubs in England. The Venue boasts unparalleled facilities and fantastic views. Catering for Polo, and music. A strange mix you may think until you realize who owns this club house and 250 acres which includes 5 polo fields.
Legendary drummer Kenney Jones, who made his name with top 60’s mod band ” The Small Faces, 70’s rockers Faces with Rod Stewart and the mighty Who in the 80’s is the man with the passion not only for drumming but horses too.
So when did this passion of his start, well Kenney had a rocking horse when he was very young but this is the unlikely beginning., When he got his first drum kit, he would play along to the western tv themes but this too is an unlikely start.
The seeds were sown while playing , or in this case not playing with the Small Faces ! Instead of rehearsing lead Vocalist and guitarist Steve Marriott suggested the band take the day off and go horse riding. So Steve had planned ahead and booked some riding lessons at the stables at Pine Lodge, Lippits Hill, Epping Forest. As Kenney says ” The moment I sat in the saddle I felt at home”. Kenney was so impressed with his time at the stables he kept going back for more. Day in and day out. Bobby Stone was the lady who owned the stables and over time tought Kenney how to ride, do show jumping and try hunting , they would become good friends. When he started to get some money though playing drums with the Small Faces he would purchase himself a horse though the same stables, a Welsh dun which he called Pedro. Kenney would take him out for a ride on the roads, but Pedro was afraid of traffic! Bobby Stone would eventually become head of the pony club. She took Kenney along to the hunt in Essex and watched how Kenney negotiate the ditches and hedges then she suggested he try out her indoor School of show jumping.
So what is the attraction to horse’s ? As Kenney tells it in his book ” Let The Good Time Roll” ” When the pressures of life mount up, Weighing me down, clouding my judgement, I go riding and all these concerns and Stresses disappear. The rest of the band were not as interested as Kenney and didn’t get the horse riding bug. They did however buy him a saddle for Pedro.
His love of horse riding would eventually lead him in to owning his own polo club.
While Kenney was living at Kingston Hill, Richmond while playing in the Faces in 1970, he met up with Bryan Morrison. Bryan was a music publisher, representing the bands, the Pretty Things, Pink Floyd, Bee Gees and George Michael and Wham. His company, the Bryan Morrison Agency, became one of the leading London booking agents for R&B and progressive rock, as well as organising tours for U.S. Acts. Kenney was first introduced to Bryan at a champagne reception to celebrate the opening of Bill Gibb’s new Bond Street shop. Bryan also managed Bill, a fashion designer.
They meet at the cocktail party and they got chatting. Bryan told Kenney he was a fan of the Small Faces and that he rode horses and played polo at Ham polo club. Kenney explained he had always
wanted to try out the game but thought it was a snob’s sport. Bryan invited Kenney down to Ham to have a go. Ginger Baker played polo at Ham and Kenney joked ” If they let him in, they would surely let me in too.
Kenney turned up at Ham polo club and he and Bryan went out riding and stick and balling. Kenney was so impressed he went back every spare day he could. Trouble was ,what with rehearsals / touring Kenney couldn’t put the time in to play to many games. So he continued to ride only plus if he got injured, that could effect the whole Faces tour.. He and Bryan would go in Richmond park as I was just a stone’s throw from his home, where they would train.
Kenney did join Bryan at the Old Berks Hunt near the village of Bucklebury in Berkshire. The fresh air,beautiful country side, very exhilarating. Kenney has never been in at the kill as he cannot abide killing animals.
During time off from tours , Kenney would participate in show jumping at the International Showjumping Championships at London’s Olympia exhibition centre.He would organise a lot of celebrity riders at the Christmas Olympia events, One of his proudest moments was to come first on a horse called Bedsocks at Olympia watched by the master show jumper Harvey Smith. Kenney was in a show when the news broke that Rod Stewart was leaving the Faces in 1975.
Bryan Morrison,got in touch with Kenney around 1986 ,at his Royal Berkshire Club in Winkfield. Bryan gave Kenney the idea of owning his own club after Bryan himself had , for a short while been President of the Ham Polo Club then founded his own in 1985. Bryan had purchased some land near Windsor and invited Kenney down to take a look at the fields and plans for his club. Kenney agreed to become an honorary member of the club. Was riding a horse to play polo a difficult thing to learn ? Not for Kenney as he already knew how to ride ,It was a question of understanding the game and adjusting his body to the game. Kenney believes his first tournament was in Cowdray around 1987. Kenney and his family moved to Ewhurst from Leigh,Reigate in 1987.
Around 1990 Kenney now had the financial means to make his dream of owning his club a reality. Thanks to a royalties cheque received . The land opposite Kenney’s property came up for sale, 181 acres of land, all over grown with ragwort, bindweed,nettles, and docks, branches and gorse. Wild, unkept, overgrown, Apple trees and woodland. But Kenney and his wife Jayne were interested in the purchase of the land. Viewing the idea as an investment for the future. A friend suggested a golf course but it was not to be.
Having sent his new idea for a Polo Club with a club house on site to the planning board all was agreed. The club house itself was made up of a listed 18th Century barn. The barn had stood in the nearby Ockley area, dismantled, with the original Oak beams treated numbered and stored. He had to straighten out the base,dig the foundations and replace the chimney. Kenney got himself a mini digger to use. The club house is a beautiful building in it’s own right with rustic decor inside that was designed by Kenney and assisted by Colin Woods. this would include a fully stocked bar, restaurant and facilities for meetings. But first of all ,it all had to be built and the fields laid. not an easy task. It was to take a couple of years. Once completed, it would host top international matches, charity events and concerts,
regularly attracting celebrities and members of the royal family. But it started with humble beginnings. Originally arranging a Polo field for his families own entertainment, Kenney invited friends along and it took a serious turn when a local lady asked if he could use the land to host a charity fund-raising event for a children’s playground in Ewhurst village. Just by word of mouth it attracted around 1,500 people.
Kenney used to be in a Polo team with the drummer from the Police , Stewart Copeland and Genesis Guitarist Mike Rutherford. Mike gave Kenney a Polo stick , with which Ignacio Heguy scored the Gold Cup winning goal at Cowdray Park in 1996. Bryan Morrison died in 2008 following a Polo accident. His son Jamie became chairman of the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club. Kenney himself was hospitalized for a few days after crushing his right ( Bass Drum ) foot.Kenney’s children even get involved, His son Jay first picked up a Polo stick at the age of three. Cody another of his son’s still plays professional, summers in England and winters in New Zealand. One of his daughter’s works in the office at the club as well as his wife.
Kenney submitted plans to expand his club, by adding a hotel,New stable block and 14 new homes to the Hurtwood site but unfortunately had objections from Waverly Council. The venture would have resulted in many new jobs for the area.
Kenney invited family , friends and even fans down to Hurtwood to watch him play polo for his 70th birthday. A fun packed day was had by all with everyone made to feel welcome. My memories of this day will last a lifetime. Before this dreadful virus took over, Hurtwood Park had so much going on, The polo tournaments, the Rock N Horsepower Show that attracts thousands of people with high profile musicians playing and all for a charity Kenney is involved in. They had Retro Car Evenings. Yoga / keep fit Mornings, The biannual Ewhurst Big Day / Night out that includes exhibition polo matches,dog show,classic cars and an evening concert. Macmillan coffee mornings, they even have wedding receptions here for the absolutely fantastic scenery, party celebrations and Christmas carols evening.
Hurtwood Park Polo Club, The Heart of Polo, The Family Favorite Rock Music Festival. When all this terrible disease has gone and we come out of this lockdown situation.
John Fisher. May 2020.