February 26th, 2010
Assistant Curators Sara and Ruth adding labels to some of the cases
- A sneaky peek of the first floor
Another sneaky peek!
Learning Officer Eleanor, finishing off the museum trail by the interactive shop area
Toby, the mountmaker, with some finishing touches
- Curator Helen gets to grips with the labels for the toothbrush case!
The final days of preparation are here before Hertford Museum reopens to the public, so we though you’d like a sneaky peek of what’s been happening…
Come along on Saturday 27th February at 10am to see the results of all the hard work and fundraising!
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January 13th, 2010
January - Winter break
Tuesday 16 February 2010 - 8.00pm The Life of Alfred Russell Wallace
The Reverend Tom Gladwin will talk to Friends about this former pupil of Hertford Grammer School who went on to become one of the 19th century’s eminent scientists. Venue - Mill Bridge Rooms.
Tuesday 16 March - 8.00pm AGM followed by ‘The Making of the Hertford DVD’
John Astin and Peter Ruffles will talk about how they approached the making of this popular DVD. Venue - Hertford Museum.
Tuesday 20 April - 8.00pm Haileybury’s Past
Andrew Hambling, former Deputy Head and History Master of Haileybury, will talk about the institutions past. Venue - Hertford Museum.
Tuesday 18 May - 8.00pm All Saint’s Church - The Disastrous Fire of 1891
Sheila White will join the Friends to share with us her knowledge of All Saint’s and 1891 fire. A keen family historian, she is currently studying genealogy and has interest in local history. Venue - Hertford Museum.
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November 17th, 2009
“On Thursday 15th October, as part of Edwinstree Middle School ’s 70th Anniversary Celebrations, a wonderful afternoon was had when 90 ex-pupils, who were at Buntingford Senior School during the war years, returned for a tea party of entertainment, a film show and lots of lovely memories. Also during the afternoon, pupils had the opportunity to dress as wartime schoolchildren and sing songs from that era. “
Diane George, Edwinstree Middle School
Sharing memories
Evacuees
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August 19th, 2009
On Tuesday 18th August, the Hertford Museum Roadshow made it’s way up the hill to Bengeo with some of our 3000-strong Addis toothbrush collection (I bet you didn’t know we had that many!)
Jane and Phylis (foreground, L-R) take a look at the HALS displays whilst Daphne talks to a visitor about the Making Memories project
Teresa from the library came along again, with some storybooks about wobbly teeth for our youngest visitors
We soon got busier as the morning progressed!
Thanks to all of you that came along and helped out, it was a lovely sunny day, so we were really pleased with the number of visitors we had!
Terry, a museum volunteer and toothbrush expert, (after catologuing nearly 3000 of them!) tells one visitor all about the Addis collection
The Museum shop...decisions, decisions!
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August 12th, 2009
The Museum Roadshow made it’s way up to a Hertford Heath on the 11th August 2009.
Hertford Museum staff were joined by HALS, the Library Service and the Police to provide activities around the theme of ‘Dark Herts’.
We took the museum collections related to Crime and Punishment in Hertford and the archives gave visitors the opportunity to trace their very own criminal ancestors!
The Police officers gave tips on how to keep safe in the 21st century and even brought along modern and older uniforms for visitors to try on!
A good day was had by all, and most notably perhaps due to the cream teas courtesy of Connie!?
PCSO Paul Weston and Serena from HALS with one young visitor posing for the Mercury cameras!
Sally taking an interest in our objects and information panels Enjoying delicious cream teas! From left, Viv, museum volunteer and Sally and Connie, museum staff.
PCSO Paul Weston giving tips to visitors on keeping safe these days
Ken Griffin, Criminal Historian showing a visitor how to trace his criminal ancestry...I wonder if he found anything scandalous!
The motley crew...BACK ROW (FROM LEFT): Julie Sessions - Museum Assistant, Connie Taylor - Museum Administrator, Colin Clare - Herts Police, Serena Williams and Nick Connell - HALS, Ken Griffin - Criminal Historian, Paul Weston - PCSO, Herts Police. FRONT ROW (FROM LEFT): Sally Wilkes - Museum Assistant, Ruth Stratton - Assistant. Curator, Museum, Vivianne Robertson, Museum Volunteer and Eleanor Payne, Learning Officer.
Tags: Museum Roadshow, School Holidays
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August 7th, 2009
The sights and sounds of the Second World War filled the air of Little Berkhamstead on Tuesday 4th August when the Hertford Museum Roadshow arrived for the day!
Children getting busy making a World War Two scene from an old box - 'make do and mend' and all that!
Two of our fab museum volunteers, Ann (left) and Phylis show us how it's done to the sounds of Glenn Miller!
The afternoon attracted an older crowd, who shared their memories of the Second World War together and enjoyed looking at the mini exhibition
Hertfordshire Libraries and Hertford Archives and Local Studies were also there to help with visitor enquries. A lovely day was had by all, despite the rain!
Connie brought along our mobile shop, which proved popular with visitors!
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July 29th, 2009
The first Hertford Museum Roadshow was a great success thanks to a great team effort by Hertford Museum staff, volunteers and colleagues from Rockwatch, the club for young geologists, http://www.rockwatch.org.uk/) and Hertfordshire Libraries.
On Saturday we took to Bircherley Green, giving out balloons and leaflets to remind people we’d be in Cowbridge Halls on Tuesday all day, with lots of fossil fun!
Holly, the museum development Project Assistant and chief of balloons!
Eleanor Payne, Learning Officer, trying to draw in the crowds!
Then on Tuesday it was all hands on deck! Children and adults alike flocked to look and handle the fabulous fossil and mineral specimens we brought from the museum and rockwatch collections.
Susan from Rockwatch is inundated straightaway with young geologists keen to find out more about her wonderful objects...
Margaret brought a case of objects from Hertford Museum's collections
Margaret brought a microscope for children to get a little closer to the fossils and minerals, which proved very popular indeed for youngsters!
Teresa from Hertford Library came along to share fossil and dinosaurs stories, picture books and non-fiction books. Storytime was lively and popular with the children as well as the adults!
Geraldine from Rockwatch (in front) and Janet, a Museum volunteer are busy straightaway!
Visitors could also enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, crafty activities and making their own plaster of paris fossil to take home.
Why not come and visit us next TUESDAY 4th AUGUST, at Little Berkhamstead Village Hall, Little Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, SG13 8LY between 10.30 am and 4.00 pm for more FREE activities and to experience a taste of life on thr HOME FRONT?
Dress up, share memories and find out about life on Hertford's Home Front
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July 23rd, 2009
Hertford Museum is going on the road!
Our first roadshow will be on Tuesday 28th July at The Cowbridge Halls, on Cowbridge in Hertford (SG14 1PG), and will be run in conjunction with Hertfordshire Libraries, who will be doing story times and Rockwatch, the Young Geologists Club.
There will be lots of Fossils to handle from the museum collections as well as from Rockwatch
Come along and see us between 10.30 am and 4.00 pm where there will be lots of FREE activities for everyone to see and do, children and adults alike…including…
…Mini displays…Handling objects…Museum staff on hand to answer questions…Volunteers sharing their experiences…Photographs of the progress of Hertford Museum’s refurbishment…Children’s crafty activities…Museum Shop…Tea and Coffee…
You can make your own plaster cast fossil to take home!
Look out for further information each week on the blog as to where our activties will go next!
Next week, on Tuesday 4th August, we’ll be in Little Berkamstead, where you will be able to find out all about…The Home Front…
Tags: School Holidays, Summer Holiday activities
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July 21st, 2009
Head 1974 etching and drypoint (CGM 228) Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation
An exhibition of Henry Moore’s much-loved sheep etchings is coming to Hertford Museum next year. The Sheep will be the first temporary exhibition the Museum will host when the doors re-open in March 2010 after major refurbishment.
Etchings, sculpture and other related items are being kindly loaned by the Henry Moore Foundation based at the artist’s former home in Perry Green, Much Hadham.
Henry Moore’s representation of sheep are among the most popular of his works. He sketched the animals as they grazed in the fields surrounding his Hertfordshire studios. His monumental bronze sculpture ‘Sheep Piece’ (LH 627) crafted in the early 1970s, was inspired by the sheep around him.
Henry Moore with Sheep Piece at Perry Green in 1977. Reproduced with permission of the Henry Moore Foundation
Moore studied his subjects well, writing in 1980: ‘I began to realise that underneath all that wool was a body, which moved in its own way and that each sheep had its individual character.’
We at Hertford Museum are very excited at having this temporary exhibition as our opening debut. As well as the sheep etchings, this exhibition will include a selection of related sculpture and found objects.
To find out more about the Henry Moore Foundation please visit www.henry-moore.org
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July 20th, 2009
The new Learning Space takes shape.
The building work at Hertford Museum is coming on nicely, (right) the learning space takes shape with the edition of its roof!
(Below) Mark Holland of Bakers of Danbury (our building contractor) samples Hertford Museum’s delicious home made scones. We will be serving cream teas next spring and summer in the museum garden!
Mark Holland of Bakers of Danbury samples a home made scone!
Sizing up the pilasters! (Below)
Architect Mike Cook of Architects Co Partnership (right) and Bakers of Danbury Site Manager Vince Kerrison size up the museum’s oak pilasters which will feature on both floors of the museum. These pilasters once adorned the exterior wall of the Old Coffee House Inn which was on Maidenhead Street (where Stead and Simpson now resides). The building was demolished in 1938 and the Curator rescued these beautifully carved timbers dating to the 1600s along with many other pieces from inside the inn.
Mike Cook of Architects Co Partnership and Vince Kerrison of Bakers of Danbury
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