Museums, archives and heritage in Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire (or Herts), an inland county in SE. of England, bounded N. by Cambridgeshire, E. by Essex, S. by Middlesex, W. by Bucks, and NW. by Bedfordshire; greatest length, NE. and SW., 35 miles; greatest breadth, E. and W., 26 miles: 465,141 acres, population 203,069. In appearance the county is hilly, but interspersed with fine pasture lands, arable farms, and picturesque parks and woods. The Lea, the Colne, and the Ivel are the principal rivers; the Grand Junction Canal likewise passes through a part of the county. A large number of the inhabitants are employed in husbandry, and in addition to grain of choice quality, hay, vegetables, and numerous fruits and flowers are extensively cultivated, especially for the London market.The greater portion of the commerce of the county is supported by the trade in corn and malt. Manufactures are few; paper-making, silk-weaving, and straw-plaiting being the principal industries. Railways penetrate to all parts of the county; no place is at a greater distance than 5 miles from a station. Geologically the greater part of Herts consists of Lower, Middle, and Upper Chalk; in the S. is the London clay. The minerals are of no commercial importance. Herts comprises 8 hundreds, 138 parishes, and parts of 3 others, and the municipal boroughs of Hertford and St Albans. It is almost entirely in the diocese of St Albans.

– John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887)

Airfield Research Group

9 Milton Road

Ware

www.airfieldinformationexchange.org.uk

The airfield Research Group is dedicated to the dissemination of material on the history, architecture, development, current status and use of military, civil and private airfields throughout the United Kingdom.

Apsley Paper Trail

Frogmore Mill, Fourdrinier Way, Apsley, and, Apsley Mills Cottage, London Road, Apsley

Hemel Hempstead HP3 9RY

01442 234600

www.thepapertrail.org.uk

The world of paper – from its industrial beginnings to its sustainable future. The Paper Trail project is a unique activity-based industrial sustainability ‘exploration’ centre built around the two sites – Frogmore Mill and Apsley Mills – that were the birthplace of paper’s industrial revolution 200 years ago.

Ashridge Estate – National Trust

Ashridge Estate Visitor Centre, Moneybury Hill

Berkhamsted HP4 1LX

01494 755557

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ashridge-estate

Vast swathe of beautiful woodlands and chalk downland at the north end of the Chiltern Hills. Super panoramas from Ivinghoe Beacon and the Duke of Bridgewater Monument. Historical remains from Iron Age to Victorian era.

Ashwell Village Museum

Swan Street, Ashwell

Baldock SG7 5NY

01462 742956

www.ashwellmuseum.org.uk

Ashwell Museum is full of the everyday objects of life in the village and the surrounding countryside from the Stone Age to the present day. The collection has grown over the years and is still growing through the generosity of many people.

Barnet Museum

31 Wood Street

Barnet EN5 4BE

020 8440 8066

www.barnetmuseum.co.uk

Barnet Museum was opened in March 1938 at 31 Wood Street, to house the collection of the Barnet & District Local History Society . Its building is an attractive early Georgian house in the heart of Chipping Barnet.

Berkhamsted School

Castle Street

Berkhamsted HP4 2BB

www.berkhamstedschool.org

The Archive and Historic Collection of Berkhamsted School preserves and makes available for research and enquiry a permanent establishment of records, memorabilia and artefacts relating to the history of Berkhamsted School (Boys and Girls).

Bishop’s Stortford Museum

South Road

Bishop’s Stortford CM23 3JG

01279 651746

www.rhodesbishopsstortford.org.uk

The Bishop’s Stortford Museum was created in 2002 following the merger of the Rhodes Memorial Museum and the Bishop’s Stortford Local History Museum. The museum has collections relating to local history, archaeology, Cecil Rhodes and Southern Africa.

Collections: The Rhodes collection includes photographs, portraits, models, costumes, furniture and a selection of ethnographic objects. Exhibits illustrate African cultural traditions from basketry and beadwork to wood carving and weaponry. The major local history archive is that of Sir Walter Gilbey, and contains personal correspondence, documents of the W & A Gilbey Wine Co and the family connections.

British Schools Museum

British Schools Museum, Queen Street

Hitchin SG4 9TS

01462 420144

www.britishschoolsmuseum.org.uk

Today the British Schools Museum celebrates the history of elementary education in Britain from 1798 to the 1960s. The listed buildings include the only surviving Lancasterian School-room (1837) where ONE master taught 300 boys, and the Galleried Classroom (1853) for 110 boys.

Collections: The museum houses the Jill Grey Collection of Childhood and Educational Material. Around 35,000 items related to education of children from the 17th century collected by Hitchin resident Jill Grey (one-time personal assistant to Frank Whittle).

Bushey Museum & Art Gallery

Rudolph Road

Bushey WD23 3HW

020 8420 4057

www.busheymuseum.org

The museum tells the story of Bushey and its unique artistic history. It has a large collection of works and articles relating to Sir Hubert von Herkomer RA and his world-renowned Art School.

Clock Tower

Market Place

St Albans AL3 5DR

01727 751810

www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk

Built between 1403 and 1412 and is the only medieval town belfry in England. Its fine bell has also survived almost 600 years of use.

Dacorum Heritage Trust

The Museum Store, Clarence Road

Berkhamsted HP4 3YL

01442 879525

www.dacorumheritage.org.uk

The Dacorum Heritage Trust is the Accredited museum organisation for the borough of Dacorum, based at the museum Store in Clarence Road, Berkhamsted. The museum Store is the home of over 100,000 objects relating to the surrounding areas, including Berkhamsted, Bovingdon, Chipperfield, Flamstead, Hemel Hempstead, Kings Langley, Markyate and Tring.

de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre – incorporating the Mosquito Aircraft Museum

de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre, Salisbury Hall

London Colney AL2 1BU

01727 822051

www.dehavillandmuseum.co.uk

Welcome to the oldest aviation museum in the UK dedicated to the preservation and display of de Havilland Aircraft. The de Havilland Aircraft Company played an important role in the history of aircraft development in 20th century Britain. We are a ‘working museum’ where we actively restore de Havilland Aircraft so you are likely to see our volunteers at work, who are always willing to answer your questions.

Forge Museum & Victorian Cottage Garden, The

The Forge, High Street

Much Hadham SG10 6BS

01279 843 301

The Forge Museum is set in an attractive Grade II* listed building situated in the picturesque village of Much Hadham. Originally a farmhouse of Moor Place, the earlier parts of the building date from the 15th century, Horseshoe Cottage and Forge Cottage date from the 16th century. The forge and bellows room are part of a 17th century barn conversion, and in 1811 the shoeing room and blacksmith’s shop were added when Frederick Page moved in.

Hatfield House

Hatfield Park

Hatfield AL9 5NQ

01707 287010

www.hatfield-house.co.uk

Hatfield House is the home of the 7th Marquess and Marchioness of Salisbury and their family. The estate has been in the Cecil family for 400 years. We hold documents and collections of local, national and international significance. Our primary aim is to preserve the papers in our care for the benefit of future generations. The collection is used by the owner and managers of the estate but the records are also made available to suitably qualified researchers.

Hertford Museum

18 Bull Plain

Hertford SG14 1DT

01992 582686

www.hertfordmuseum.org

The museum is located in a 17th century town house with an attractive Jacobean style garden.

Collections: Extensive collections from Hertford, Hertfordshire and beyond. Local archaeology, social history, photographs, paintings and prints, plus ethnographic collection and Hertfordshire regiment collection.

Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies – HALS

Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies (HALS), Hertfordshire County Council, CHR002, County Hall, Pegs Lane

Hertford SG13 8EJ

0300 1234 049

www.hertsdirect.org/hals

Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies (HALS) is the specialist centre of information on the local history of Hertfordshire, covering many aspects of life in the county including the people, the environment, the geography and history etc. Based at County Hall in Hertford, HALS comprises the former Hertfordshire Record Office and the county Local Studies Library, and offers an integrated service providing archives and local studies material, including over 6000 archive collections, 30,000 books, 30,000 images, 10,000 maps, and 200 newspaper and periodical titles.

Hertfordshire Family History Society

30 Blenheim Way

Stevenage SG2 8TE

01438 216785

www.hertsfhs.org.uk

The society was founded in 1977 and is a member of the Federation of Family History Societies and also a registered charity with a brief to educate and inform the public about genealogy with its focus on the county of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom.

Hertfordshire Fire Brigade Museum

Fire Station, Lower High Street

Watford WD17 2AG

01923 232297

www.watfordmuseum.org.uk/firemuseum

The museum is based in a purpose-built building at the new Fire Station, Lower High Street, Watford, opened in November 2009. We have a substantial collection of various items of fire service equipment, uniform and documents, old and new, along with a large and varied photographic display of fire appliances, fire/incident scenes and local fire history.

International Garden Cities Exhibition

296 Norton Way South

Letchworth Garden City SG6 1SU

01462 482710

www.letchworthgc.com/first_garden_city

The International Garden Cities Exhibition charts the history of the Garden City Movement, the founding of Letchworth Garden City and the key principles which shaped it, and its influence around the world. Ebenezer Howard, founder of Letchworth Garden City, had a vision that would end the poverty and slums suffered by so many in the late Victorian era.

Knebworth House, Gardens & Park

Estate Office

Knebworth SG1 2AX

01438 812661

www.knebworthhouse.com

The romantic exterior of Knebworth House with its turrets, domes and gargoyles silhouetted against the sky does little to prepare the visitor for what to expect inside. The House has stood for many years longer than the Victorian decoration suggests and the stucco hides from view a red brick house dating back to the Tudor times. Every generation of the Lytton family has left something of its style and taste, making Knebworth an extraordinary walk through 500 years of British history.

Letchworth & District Family History Group

60 Woodland Rise

Welwyn Garden City AL8 7LF

www.ldfhg.org.uk

LDFHG is a group of amateur family historians from in and around Letchworth, most of whom are looking for ancestors further afield than Hertfordshire.

Letchworth Museum & Art Gallery

Broadway

Letchworth Garden City SG6 3PF

01462 685647

Letchworth Museum & Art Gallery occupies an attractive Edwardian building facing Broadway Gardens, in the centre of Letchworth, beside the Library. The museum has four main galleries.

Lincolnsfields Children’s Centre

Bushey Hall Drive

Bushey WD23 2ES

01923 233 841

www.lincolnsfields.co.uk

The Lincolnsfields Children’s Centre is located on what was originally the site of Bushey Hall – the wartime location of the USAAF 8th Fighter Command Headquarters – a unique WW2 heritage site. We stage regular historical events within the grounds using the remaining twelve WW2 buildings. Our 1940s house is open on on selected Sundays.

Lowewood Museum

High Street

Hoddesdon EN11 8BH

01992 445 596

Lowewood Museum is situated in a listed Georgian building and houses an impressive collection of photographs and memorabilia depicting town life in the 19th century, all contributed by the local community. The museum also provides a free identification service, to inform residents about any unusual item they might own.

Mill Green Museum & Mill

Mill Green

Hatfield AL9 5PD

01707 271362

www.welhat.gov.uk/museum

A local history museum for the Welwyn Hatfield District, housed in the former Miller’s House dating back to the 16th century. Three galleries housing local artefacts or temporary exhibitions.

Museum of St Albans

Hatfield Road

St Albans AL1 3RR

01727 819340

www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk

The story of historic St Albans from the departure of the Romans to the present day. There is an ever changing special exhibitions programme and a small wildlife garden and pond to explore.

Collections: With special Saxon & Medieval galleries. Home to the famous Salaman Collection of trade and craft tools.

Museum of Technology The Great War & WWII

81 High Street

Hemel Hempstead HP1 3AH

01442 262541

www.museumoftechnology.org.uk

The museum of Technology The Great War & WW11 incorporates a very small period in history, in which the technological revolution took place. All the items on display represent the evolution of electrical, electronic, and warfare advances around 1850 – 1980.

Natural History Museum at Tring

Akeman Street

Tring HP23 6AP

020 7942 6171

www.nhm.ac.uk/tring

Discover the fascinating range of animals collected by Lionel Walter Rothschild in our beautiful Victorian Museum. It is home to the world-class research and collections of the Natural History Museum’s Bird Group.

North Hertfordshire Museum

Paynes Park

Hitchin SG5 1EH

01462 434476

www.northhertsmuseum.org

North Herts Museum is a completely new museum opening in 2015, amalgamating the collections of the previous Hitchin and Letchworth Museums, as well as displaying material relating to North Hertfordshire which has never before been shown. The museum illustrates life in the area from prehistory to the present day, with thousands of fascinating objects.

Potters Bar Museum

Wyllyotts Centre, Darkes Lane

Potters Bar EN6 2HN

01707 645005

Opened in 1990, the museum is managed and run by volunteers who are members of Potters Bar and District Historical Society. Situated opposite the timber-framed building of what remains of the medieval manor of Wyllyotts, the displays interpret the long history of Potters Bar and its district. Artefacts from archaeological excavations in the area are on display, including medieval finds from Wyllyotts Manor itself, South Mimms motte-and-bailey castle and finds from a Roman tile kiln.

Royston & District Family History Society

60 Beldam Avenue

Royston SG8 9UW

www.roystonfhs.org.uk

Royston and District Family History Society is based in Royston, a market town in Hertfordshire, and serves the district around it which also covers parts of Cambridgeshire and Essex.

Royston & District Museum

Lower King Street

Royston SG8 5AL

01763 242587

www.roystonmuseum.org.uk

Royston is a small market town which grew up at the point where two ancient roads cross—the Icknield Way and Ermine Street. Its history is reflected in the Royston Tapestry at the museum, a project initiated in 1992 by previous curator Jane Vincent and depicting scenes from the town’s past.

Runnymede Collection at Middlesex University, The

Middlesex University, Cat Hill

Barnet EN4 8HT

0208 411 6686

The Runnymede Collection at Middlesex University is a unique resource for the study of the history of race relations in Britain since the 1960s. It is a specialist collection of books, pamphlets, documents, journals and press cuttings on the development of multiculturalism and cultural diversity.

Rye House Gatehouse

Rye House Quay, Rye Road

Hoddesdon EN11 0EH

08456 770 600

www.leevalleypark.org.uk/gardensandheritage

Rye House Gatehouse was one of the first brick built buildings in the country. The house formed the hub of what was a large estate for its time.

Shaw’s Corner – National Trust

Ayot St Lawrence

Welwyn AL6 9BX

01438 820307

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/shaws-corner

An Edwardian villa, the home of George Bernard Shaw from 1906 till his death in 1950. A large red-brick detached house, Shaw’s Corner was built in 1902 as the New Rectory for Ayot St Lawrence.

Sopwell Nunnery

off Cottonmill Lane, St Albans

St Albans

01727 751810

www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk

Ruins of a Tudor manor house, on the site of a 21st century nunnery.

Speedway Museum

Paradise Wild Life Park, White Stubbs Lane

Broxbourne EN10 7QA

01992 469555

www.speedwaymuseum.co.uk

The museum offers an insight into the history of speedway racing – the technical developments of the racing machines, the personalities and riders involved with the sport over the years.

St Albans & Hertfordshire Architectural & Archaeological Society

SAHAAS Library, c/o Tourist Information Centre, The Town Hall, Market Place

St Albans AL3 5DJ

www.stalbanshistory.org

Our society was formed in 1845 to research the archaeology, architectural & local history of St Albans in particular and Hertfordshire in general.

St Albans Cathedral

Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban, Sumpter Yard

St Albans AL1 1BY

01727 860780

www.stalbanscathedral.org

The Cathedral and Abbey Church of Saint Alban is the seat of the Bishop of St Albans and serves the Diocese of St Albans in the counties of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, the Borough of Luton and the London Borough of Barnet. The Cathedral is also a parish church with a large and active congregation.

St Albans Organ Theatre

St Albans Organ Museum, 320 Camp Road

St Albans AL1 5PE

01727 873 896

www.stalbansorgantheatre.org.uk

Remember the good old days? That magical musical atmosphere that has been lost and forgotten in today’s digital age. See and hear the fascinating world of mechanical musical instruments at St Albans Organ Theatre. The Theatre is open to the public every Sunday from 2.15pm till 4.30pm during which time there is a live, continuous musical performance of the various instruments, given with a descriptive commentary.

Collections: The museum currently has two theatre organs, four cafe organs worked by punch-card and numerous other instruments including music boxes and a self playing violin.

St Albans Signal Box Preservation Trust

Ridgmont Road

St Albans AL1 3AJ

www.sigbox.co.uk

This is a Midland Railway signal box, erected June 1892, and abandoned by British Railways 1980. Taken on by the Preservation Trust in 2006, it was restored by late 2008, and opened regularly to the public from 2009 onwards. It is the largest preserved Midland Railway signal box in England, and the only one preserved where it originally worked.

Stevenage Museum

St Georges Way

Stevenage SG1 1XX

01438 218881

www.stevenage.gov.uk/about-stevenage/museum

Stevenage Museum is a lively community service working with local people and groups to present a full programme of projects, exhibitions and events. Our permanent displays show life in the town from pre-history to the present day.

Tower Museum Bassingbourn

Hangar #3, Bassingbourn Barracks

Royston SG8 5LX

01763 243 500

www.towermuseumbassingbourn.co.uk

The Tower Museum Bassingbourn is housed in the original control tower that dates back to the 1930s when the airbase was constructed. One of the first museums in the country to be housed in an original control tower, the museum opened in 1974; its aim to educate visitors in the history of this world famous base when the RAF and the USAAF were stationed here.

Verulamium Museum

St Michaels

St Albans AL3 4SW

01727 751810

www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/verulamium

Verulamium is the award winning museum of everyday life in Roman Britain. It is on the site of one of the major cities in Roman Britain set in attractive parkland and near Roman theatre, walls and hypocaust. There is a new Iron Age gallery, recreated Roman rooms, discovery areas and some of the best mosaics outside the Mediterranean.

Ware Museum

Priory Lodge, 89 High Street

Ware SG12 9AL

01920 487 848

www.waremuseum.org.uk

The small museum that brought the Great Bed of Ware home. The Bed has now returned to the V&A but you can still touch and feel our full sized replica of one of the bedposts.

Collections: Permanent displays show a timeline of Ware’s Social, Industrial and Archaeological History from pre-historic times to the Second World War. New displays on Malting and a Hitch Brick ‘window’. The mediaeval well discovered within the museum grounds is now incorporated in the new gallery. World War 2 bunker with interactive display.

Watford Museum

194 Lower High Street

Watford WD17 2DG

01923 232297

www.watfordmuseum.org.uk

Telling the story of Watford past and present, Watford Museum is housed in the former Benskins Brewery Mansion. The museum has displays of local history and industry, including Watford Football Club memorabilia and the Cassiobury Collection of fine art.

Welwyn Roman Baths

Welwyn Bypass

Welwyn AL6 9HT

01707 271362

www.welhat.gov.uk/museum

Tunnel through time to the world of the Romans with a visit to Welwyn Roman Baths. Discover the secrets of the past in a steel vault deep under the A1(M) motorway, where you can find the unique remains of a once-luxurious bathing suite.