The inn holds a place in television history, serving as the backdrop for ITV's drama "Rough Treatment," Vodafone commercials, Channel Four's "Celebrity Wife Swap," "Fifth Gear," "Four Weddings," "Walking Through History," and various other television advertising campaigns.

Originally a row of three cottages dating back to 1430, The Hatch Inn predates the Newbridge furnaces. In the eighteenth century, these cottages transformed into an inn named "The Cock" before later becoming The Hatch, commemorating the original Coleman's Gate to Ashdown Forest. The inn is one of several designated "Hatches" in the area, signifying gates onto the Royal Ashdown Forest.

Legend suggests The Hatch was a haven for smugglers, with rum as its specialty and Captain Kidd as its reputed mastermind, though little evidence supports this claim. The hill descending from Gills Lap, known as Kidd's Hill on the location map, continues to contribute to the inn's mysterious allure—a low, dark structure nestled into the landscape, concealing secrets of its own.