It’s fair to say East Hampshire hasn’t been a hotbed for the Labour party. It’s been held by the Tories since its creation in 1983, returning only Michael Mates and Damian Hinds as MPs during those 43 years.

Yet 100 years ago this month, the village of Passfield was the site of major Labour gathering, with future Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald giving a keynote speech at an event organised by Sidney and Beatrice Webb.

The Webbs were prominent leading members of the Labour Party in the 1920s, with Sidney being elected MP for Seaham in 1922 and later becoming the 1st Baron Passfield of Passfield Corner.

The pair, who also founded the London School of Economics, acquired a house in Passfield Corner in 1910, initially as a weekend retreat.

It was in front of his house in July 1926 where the pair hosted a political meeting and garden party, with Mr MacDonald, then Leader of the Opposition, being the keynote speaker.

Around 2,000 Labour Party members from around the south attended the party, travelling to Passfield in “80 charabancs”.

In addition to Ramsey McDonald, other speakers included notable Labour figures Margaret Grace Bondfield, Arthur Ponsonby, Bertrand Russell, Earl De La Warr and the Webbs.

Beatrice wrote in her diary on August 2 that the gathering “went off brilliantly” and that “Our luck was a delightful warm grey day ending in a burst of sunshine when J.R.M (Ramsay MacDonald) was giving his second speech and final farewell … The leader of the Labour Party was on his best form.”

Beatrice died in 1943 and was buried in the woods nearby, with her husband being buried alongside her after his death four years later. The pair were eventually moved to Westminster Abbey where they still lie.

(Thanks to John Tough for additional reporting).