Museum Redevelopment

The doors of the long-awaited entrance to North Hertfordshire Museum will be opening in 3 weeks time.
As well as a new entrance hall with its welcome desk, there will be a shop and café too. Upstairs our Terrace Gallery will open, with displays showcasing the people, art and collections of North Herts. Sit down in our mini cinema and enjoy animations of local folk tales. The Arches Exhibition Space will feature local artists’ work, starting with Vanessa Stone and her beautiful paper cut pictures of the district.

In our main exhibition gallery there will be a fabulous sensory experience for family audiences. Drop in and see Blood and Bone, an interactive installation. Spacecadets Air Designs have taken inspiration from human biology and the artworks are inspired by cells and organisms inside our bodies. You are invited to explore, listen to and touch a series of giant breathing tunnels and caves.

Come down on Saturday 6 July at 10:15 am to see the entrance doors officially open for the first time.

We will be joined by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Neville Reyner, as well as, members of the District Council:

  • Chairman of the Council, Cllr Jean Green
  • Leader of the Council, Cllr Martin Stears-Handscomb
  • Executive Member for Enterprise and Co-operative Development, Cllr Keith Hoskins

Drop in for free and take part in family activities that will be running all day. Be one of the first people to experience the fully open North Hertfordshire Museum.

Important information: the Museum will be closed from 24 June till we reopen on 6 July.


North Hertfordshire Museum is most grateful to the National Lottery Heritage fund as without it we wouldn’t have such a wonderful new museum.

I have been working in the new museum recently and it is looking fantastic – and it will get even better when the objects for display start appearing in the cases!

Some of these will be recognised from previous displays in Hitchin Museum and Letchworth Museum and others will be on view for the first time.

There will also be many objects in store but we can look forward to seeing some of these in special exhibitions and displays.

From time to time I reflect on some of the items I have worked with(cleaning/photographing/packing) and which I hope to see amongst the wonderful displays we will be treated to!

shepherds smock

This smock was worn by a shepherd in Wallington (Hertfordshire) and each side (front and back) is the same.

Smocks were worn as protective outer garments and were made from rectangles and squares of fabric. Some of these pieces were smocked to give the garment its shape but the smocking was also decorative.

I can imagine the shepherd out in the fields, wearing this comfortable smock, which as well as covering his clothes also hopefully gave him some protection from the elements.

 

The Heritage event at Hitchin Library

Heritage event at Hitchin Library

Letchworth Festival - rainy but busy!

Letchworth Festival – a rainy but busy day!

Hitchin Festival - in Church House

Part of our Hitchin Festival  stall in Church House

This summer we have taken the pop-up museum panels on the road to various events in Letchworth and Hitchin. Our reception has been overwhelmingly positive; the main question is always ‘When can we come and see the new museum?’. We spoke to around 200 people, and although some are still sad about losing the old museums, everyone said that they understood the reasons for change, and told us that in fact they are now looking forward to having a bright and modern new museum to visit. Parents were keen to hear about the new Learning Centre, which will be ideal for holiday and after-school activities, and family historians were interested to hear about the Local Studies Centre. Everyone was happy that there will be easy access, with a lift to all floors, lots of loos (it’s amazing to remember that Hitchin Museum didn’t even have one public WC) and a café. The fact that we are telling the stories of the District through objects which have been hidden in store for years adds to the sense of anticipation. The newest pop-up panel, showing images from some of next year’s exhibitions, caused the most interest, particularly next Spring’s Arts Council Matisse exhibition;  next summer’s sci-fi extravaganza, ‘Invasion’, and next winter’s show of Nick Sharratt children’s illustrations. Nick is best known for illustrating the Jacqueline Wilson books, as well as many of his own. We hope to open the new museum at the same time as the beautifully restored Hitchin Town Hall; watch this space for updates.

Thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund and to SHARE Museums East for funding all the pop-up panels, and the matching free flyers.