News
In 2011 the Museum Service was successful in gaining a Stage 1 bid from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) towards our new museum project. Last November we submitted our Stage 2 bid, to take the grant up to £1million. We will hear whether we have been successful or not later next month, but as part of the assessment process three HLF representatives came to North Herts. on Wednesday, to ask questions about the new museum, and to see the site. Luckily the rain had stopped, so we were able to show exactly where the new entrance will be, the site of the museum and new exhibition gallery, and we had a look what will become a large basement store. We also saw
Site visit by John Robinson, Sandra Hirons (HLF offficer), Ros Allwood, Philip Venning (HLF East of England Committee) and Sophia Mirchandani (HLF External Assessor)
the Mountford Hall and Lucas Room. With a little imagination it is easy to forget the mud and earth-moving equipment currently on site, and visualise our wonderful new museum; now that it is actually happening, it is very exciting.
Don’t forget to book your place on our Behind the Scenes tours! See how staff are preparing for the new North Hertfordshire Museum. Find out about the history of the buildings and the museums. Have a look at objects as they are cleaned and packed.
Tours are free, start at 10am and last approximately 40mins. Spaces are limited and tours must be booked in advance (tours without sufficient bookings may be rescheduled).
You can book onto a tour at Letchworth Museum or Hitchin Museum (or one of each!).
Hitchin Museum dates
Fridays
21 February,
28 March,
25 April
To book telephone: 01462 434476
or email: hitchin.museum@north-herts.gov.uk
Letchworth Museum dates
Tuesdays
11 March,
15 April
To book telephone: 01462 685647
As part of the ongoing archive project at Hitchin Museum, documents are being repacked and sorted in readiness for the new study centre in the North Herts Museum.
As the volunteer team of local history enthusiasts work through the large collection, they are uncovering some hidden gems. There are many photographs of the district showing the changing villages and towns of North Herts. There are also some interesting reminders of life in the past, such as this one.
Handbill for a Chimney Sweep and Nightman
This is a handbill from the early 1800s advertising the services of Thomas Smith, a local chimney sweep and nightman. A nightman’s job wasn’t pleasant and involved emptying human waste from the many cesspits around the streets.
The products of both professions, i.e. soot and human waste, were sold to farmers as fertilizer. This handbill has a receipt for payment by a farmer in Codicote on the reverse.
This project has been funded by EERAC (East of England regional Archive Council) and SHARE Museums East.