North Herts Museum collection
Unlocking our district treasure trove
North Herts Museum combines the historic collections of the former Letchworth and Hitchin Museums and contains wide-ranging objects, art works and natural history specimens.
For more than thirty years, the collections have been kept in a store in Hitchin that has become too small for current needs and increasingly unsuitable for long-term use.
The Museum collections help to illustrate the varied heritage of the district and to foster a sense of local pride in our shared pasts. They show the achievements – and sometimes failures! – of people who created the landscapes and buildings that are characteristic of the area.
North Herts Museum in Hitchin displays only a tiny proportion of the collection, so storing the remainder is an essential part of our function.
Our collections reflect the lives of people who have lived here, sometimes newcomers who settled, sometimes those whose families lived here for countless generations, and sometime of people who were just passing through. People have been attracted to this area for millennia because of the opportunities afforded by its natural resources and by its welcoming, vibrant communities.
Throughout 2026, we’re going to be unlocking our district treasure trove and will be showcasing a unique artefact from our rarely seen, extensive collection every month. We’ll be plotting them on our district treasures map, and our curators will be telling you all about them both on this page and across our social media channels.
District Treasures Map
Click on the map to open a larger version:
Artefact 5: John Kellerman, the “Last of the Alchemists”‘ pamphlet
A fascinating piece of print history that explores the local folklore of North Hertfordshire through a captivating tale.
John Kellerman was an alchemist who moved to the quiet North Herts village of Lilley in the early 19th century. After being interviewed by Sir Richard Phillips for his book: ‘A Personal Tour through the United Kingdom (1829)’, Kellerman suddenly disappeared without a trace, leaving locals to theorise how and why he mysteriously vanished…
Artefact 4: Mammoth Tooth
This spectacular 40,000-year-old prehistoric fossil, a real mammoth tooth, is a truly ‘mammoth’ discovery found right here in North Herts!
Artefact 3B: The Damned concert poster
A poster advertising a performance by The Damned at The Regal in 1982.
On Wednesday 6 October 1982, The Regal, the converted former cinema on Bancroft, played host to a gig by the leading punk band The Damned.
Artefact 3A: Chron Gen concert poster
This poster, in striking neon green, is advertising a concert at The Regal, the converted former cinema in Hitchin.
On the bill are local punk band Chron Gen as well as the bands The Adicts and Filthy Habitz. The event was to be held on 24 September 1982 between 8pm – 1.30am with ticket prices £2.50.
Artefact 2: American Mink
As the name suggests, this mink is not native to North Herts or even Britain but is proof that American minks were present in Baldock in 1995 or earlier as it was found on Bygrave Road during that year. A very important part of North Herts natural history collection!
Artefact 1: Red deer antler pick
This 4,000-year-old red deer antler pick was discovered just 38 metres away from the grounds of the new collection facility building. This ancient, festive fossil was appropriately chosen for its verbal and biological similarities to its cousin, the reindeer.
