Blog

Susie Merrill : A Way Through The Woods

This book has been on our shelves for a few weeks, and we've just received a video from Susie herself. Have a look and see what you think. Her book is a look at her time growing up in Boreham Wood and her later life as a policewoman in London. As the blurb says : "An inspiring and candid biography that charts the extraordinary life of a young woman growing up in a post-war Boreham Wood. Susie's journey is filled with unexpected twists, from surviving domestic abuse as a farmer's wife and young mother to reinventing herself as a police officer in London."

Available in the Museum or online in our shop.

100 Years of Elstree - Part One

With the 100th anniversary of Elstree Studios approaching towards the end of the year, there are plenty of local events to celebrate. And we will be adding photos and other items from our archives and from Paul Welsh's collection to get the party started!

We start with two important visitors to the Studios - one royal and the other literary. The first is George VI and Queen Elizabeth when they were the Duke and Duchess of York visiting in 1929 when the first British talkie Blackmail was being filmed by Alfred Hitchcock.  That's Joe Grossman on the left - the Studio Manager at the time. More about him later. Interestingly, in 2010 Elstree Studios was the home of the production of The King's Speech about George VI's speech problems.

The second is George Bernard Shaw on the set of Arms and the Man in 1932. Of course he lived up the road at Shaw's Corner in Ayot St Lawrence, so it wasn't that far for him to come in to the studios. With him are leading actors Barry Jones and Anne Grey on the left and the director and writer Cecil Lewis on the right. Barry Jones said that GBS was happy for the play to be filmed exactly as written, with one small tweak.

Two New Occasional Papers

We have just published two new Occasional Papers in our range of local history research projects. These Papers illuminate topics of our history that are worthy of further explanation and study. Both are by Anthony Frewin and reveal aspects of our area that you may never have considered.

Occasional Paper No. 5 is The Earliest Roads of Elstree. This explores the roads we drive on every day in Elstree and Borehamwood, explores their origins and naming, and shows how they have influenced our landscape.

Occasional Paper No. 6 is An Enquiry Into The Tower By Scratch Woods. Follow Anthony's efforts to track down this mystery tower deep in the woods after he read a small mention of it on Facebook. Now demolished and nearly forgotten, he tracked down its location and purpose.

On sale in the Museum for a mere £2 with colour covers, they are also available from our website shop for £3.59, postage included.

Well worth your attention!

Christmas Cards

"IT'S CHRISTMAS" in the immortal words of Noddy Holder, so make sure you grab some local Christmas Cards to send to your loved ones who have left the Village for pastures new. Plenty of different designs from Borehamwood to Elstree and all points in between. Only £1 each and available in the Museum now.  Remember that snow?!

Where Was 'The Duke of Marlborough'?

Our Museum Curator Dave Armitage noticed some comments in Wynn Everett's memoir (now back in stock) concerning an 'unknown' pub called The Duke of Marlborough. She said the pub was located at 'Suicide Corner', where the A5 meets the A41, and was owned by Sir Trevor Dawson of Edgwarebury House fame who half-timbered it. Not knowing the pub himself, its exact location hung around in the Museum atmosphere for a couple of years until confirmation of 'Suicide Corner' came from a wartime bus schedule and an old map just last week.

So our new Trustee, John Cartledge, set to work with his extensive knowledge of maps and found a building near where the Corner would be when the Watford By-Pass was built, marked as a 'BH' or 'Beer House' on the OS map of 1913. As he said 'Eureka' - there was the 'Duke'. Probably built originally to serve the workers at the 'Brick Works' shown on the map, the building was still there on the 1935 map though no longer labelled as a 'BH' (the Brick Works had gone too). Trevor Dawson died in 1931 and the Brick Works closed, so the pub may have reverted to a dwelling house. It shows on the 1939 aerial photo of The Line That Never Was.

And today? It's under the M1 now. We have no photos of the building and it's just about out of living memory. Does anyone have any knowledge of the pub? And why was a roundabout on the Watford By-Pass called 'Suicide Corner'? Reach us via our email!

Vote For Us!

Vote for us! Yes, it's time to vote again - this time for the Hertfordshire Museum Object of the Year.  Our entry is the Tipsy Nipper Aircraft which is on display right now in our current exhibition, Up, Up And Away! - The Story of Elstree Aerodrome. Not just an object in a glass case you can sit in it and simulate a flight from Elstree. It's historically accurate too. See the photo below!  Vote here!

Paul Welsh's Plaque

Look out for a new Plaque dedicated to Paul Welsh next to the bench at the entrance to Tescos.  Paul was responsible for all the film plaques around town, so it is only fitting he has his very own now. It tells his story of a local lad who saved the studios and became a foremost authority of the history of film, particularly those made in this area. His 'Elstree Project' is an archive of filmed interviews with not only the stars, but also those who worked behind the cameras in this creative industry. 

The Friends Newsletter

The September 2024 Newsletter has just been uploaded to this website because the new January 2025 is now available. Sent to the Friends of the Museum every quarter it is an exclusive read for three months for our Friends who help us survive and grow. This letter includes a fascinating exploration of the Imperial Studios and the British & Dominions Film Co established by Herbert Wilcox in 1927. It produced many famous films until the studios burnt down in 1936. It's not a well-known story, so if you want to learn more - please visit our Get Involved page and become a Friend Friends Page.

Paul Welsh Tribute in the Borehamwood Times

Following on from our last blog entry, further tributes to Paul Welsh can be found in the most recent Borehamwood Times. Four articles featuring his life story and achievements can be found online in the edition dated December 19th - link here.

It's Christmas!

It's Christmas!  Well, nearly. It's coming up fast, so make sure you have your local Christmas Cards ready to send out. Get them from us - the Museum has over 35 designs featuring local snow scenes and paintings. Still only £1 for the large and 50p. for the small. Here's a few of our cards :