Blog

The H.A.M. Arrived

We joined with Herts Archives, Local Studies and library staff on Saturday to present the Herts Heritage Roadshow at No.96. To complement our current Smile Please exhibition on the development of photography (and the part played by local pioneers in it), we invited children to dress up and have their photograph framed and printed, to take away with them. This before they discovered for themselves how film used to be taken and made into photographs in our Dark Room inside the museum. 

The museum volunteers entered into the spirit of the event, whether as a soldier fighting in the Napoleonic wars, or on their own trip to the seaside!

The Friends and My Movietime

The Friends of the Museum met last Wednesday 24th, and so many turned up that we took over the top floor of the Library.  The star attraction was Tevy Corman who regaled us with stories of his film career in Israel when he worked on many well-known productions, and met many famous actors and directors.  He provided a fascinating insight into the background of these films that used Israel to represent all areas of the Middle East.  He even went swimming with Sly Stone in the Dead Sea!  Tevy also brought a fiendish quiz with him covering films from the 30s onwards, and it soon sorted out the real fans.  The winner was Moyra Day who received a signed copy of Paul Welsh’s book Elstree Confidential. Friends also had a chance to browse the current Smile Please! Exhibition while indulging in tea and biscuits.  Not a Friend yet? Please visit the Friends pages on the website to join - it’s only £5.00 per year.

Our photos are courtesy Derek Allen and show the large gathering, Tevy in full flight, and with Dave Armitage, the Museum Manager.

The H.A.M. Is Coming!

Coming to the Museum and Library at 96 very soon – on Saturday March 12 in fact – the Herts Heritage Roadshow from HAM (Hertfordshire Archives and Museums). A joint event between the Museum and the Library it runs from 10 am to 3.30 pm and covers the whole of 96 Shenley Road.  Alongside the current Smile Please! Photography Exhibition there will be children’s craft activities inspired by our museum collections and free workshops on family and military history.  You will be able to meet the teams at Hertfordshire Museum Development and Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies.  And you can dress-up and have your photo taken! Check out the full details on our events page!

Going Down The Village In February

On February 4th, 25 people attended the monthly meeting of Going Down The Village at 96 Shenley Road. The topic was Guides, Scouts and Brownies and after a brief presentation by Florrie Cowley, we looked at a number of pictures and objects and shared childhood memories of camping, playing in bands and much more.

The next meeting is on March 3rd when we will be discussing Gardens, Parks and Allotments. Hope you can join us.

Christmas @ 96

On Monday 21st, just as the shortest day approached, 96 had an Open Day to celebrate 2015.  The Community Hub for Elstree & Borehamwood opened up its café and rear rooms for a large number of stalls, a petting zoo with donkeys, rabbits and sheep, face painting and local singers and entertainers.  The Museum had a table to entice visitors to the second floor for a final viewing of the phenomenally successful EastEnders : In Our Manor Exhibition, and to encourage visitors to become Friends, and to encourage Friends to sign up for the next event.  Lots of local families joined in the fun.  Our photo shows volunteers Brenda, Vania, and Helen managing a smile even when rushed off their feet!

Community Action Table

The Museum provided a table at the CAH (Community Action Hertsmere) AGM this week as our picture shows.  The CAH is an umbrella charitable organisation which supports many small clubs and charities in the area. In the photo (l. to r.) are Cllr. Richard Butler (current Town Mayor), Cllr.Cynthia Barker, Elaine Butchins - a Trustee of the Museum, and a visitor to the stand.

Going Down The Village: A Festive Occasion

Our December session was the most popular to date, with 24 people attending. Sharing a mince pie and a cuppa we reminisced about the toys we played with as children.

Herts Library Service provided a box of traditional toys which we could handle, including table skittles, a yo-yo, a whipping top, Tic Tac Toe, Pick Sticks and Hoopla. People brought in their photographs and some of their toys. Amongst them was The Professor, one of the famous Pelham Puppets, still in its original box. It’s amazing what some people still have in their attics! Perhaps we should run our very own Antiques Road Show!

Our next meeting is on Thursday, 4th February 2016. Our theme will be: Guides, Scouts and Brownies. Hope you can join us.

Elstree & Borehamwood Christmas Cards on Sale Now!

Come down this weekend to get some beautiful Christmas cards, all themed around Elstree and Borehamwood. We always have over sixty exclusive hand-painted watercolour cards available, all featuring local views over the last century, and 8 of them are specially chosen for their Christmas themes - the price is only 50p per card.  We also have four new glossy cards based on Borehamwood and Elstree photos and these are individually wrapped for £1 each.  In addition there is a pack of 4 small cards for £1.50.

These are available in the Museum of course, and we will also be selling the cards at our special table in the Library foyer from 11am to 3pm on Saturday the 28th of November and also from 2pm on Sunday the 29th of November, before the Christmas Lights switch on. We will then be selling cards every Saturday from 11am to 3pm up until the 19th of December. Hope to see you there!

Offenburg Visit

Museum Manager, Dave Armitage, and volunteer Lynda Marshall were recently accompanying 70 teenagers from Offenburg which is Borehamwood’s twin town in Germany.  They spent a while touring the town with Lynda as translator and guide, and then Dave gave a 45 minute talk about the changing face of Borehamwood over the past 150 years.  Our photo shows some of the teenagers and Nick Male from BETTA (Borehamwood and Elstree Twin Town Association).

History With The W.I.

Dave Armitage, our Museum Manager, recently gave a talk to the W.I. in the Allum Hall Community Centre.  The talk was about Factories and Pubs in Elstree & Borehamwood between 1948 – 1980. This went down very well indeed, and brought back lots of memories to the audience. As it happened it was a special occasion for the Borehamwood and Elstree group being their 92nd Anniversary. The food was just as good as it looks!