Blog

Our Ten Year Celebration

Would you believe we have been open in 96 Shenley Road for 10 years this weekend?  So of course we needed to get out the balloons and the banners and congratulate ourselves on this achievement. Choosing a quiet time when the library is closed we laid out the cakes and the coffee, and had to take a photo or two. Our group shot shows many of the current volunteers, while the other shot shows Ruth, who controls us on behalf of Hertsmere, with Peter our computer wizz who didn't make the group shot. And our doorway explains all.

Parkside School Visit

We had a visit from 27 second-years from Parkside School last week. Our Museum Manager Dave explained all the changes to this area from the coming of the railways in the 1860s.  Two volunteers, Helen & Audrey, dressed in their Victorian finery to show groups of the children the changes to the maps, and to the local shops including Hanson's, of course. The latter display is from our current Exhibition, Your Museum @ 10, and many of the children dressed up as well. A bit of fun along with the facts!

New Christmas Cards

#MemoriesMonday. Yes, it's time to dig out your Christmas Card list and get posting to friends and family.  We now have over 30 card designs for you to choose from, including 5 new ones for this year. They range from wintery scenes and snow covered buildings in Elstree and Borehamwood to Christmassy paintings of the area by local artists. Our new cards include local pubs in the snow.  Only £1 each, available from the Museum at 96 Shenley Road. Here are a few examples for you, but please pop in and look through our card book.

Half-Term Blues

Half-term may be over, but here's a photo for #MemoriesMonday of the start of a brand new term at a brand new school. The opening ceremony at Borehamwood Grammar School on 31st October 1956, nearly 70 years ago. Is that you in your new blazer or tunic? Can you remember the names of the teachers in the photo?

A VIP Visit To Our New Exhibition

We had our own Exhibition launch recently and were joined by Cllr Parveen Rani who is the Hersmere Culture portfolio holder and so responsible for our 'compact' Museum. Manager Dave Armitage showed her around the new Exhibition which features the highlights from our last ten years since we moved to 96 Shenley Road.  We've concentrated on such delights as the model of Elstree Station in 1900 and Hanson's shop, so you can see the trains and weigh out and eat your own sweets in 'old' money.  (Sorry, there is no 'Hanson's ice cream' available!).  Cllr Rani was very impressed by the hard work our volunteers have put in over the years, and here's a photo of us during her visit.

Our New Exhibition Is Open

Your Museum At 10 is our new Exhibition and it's now open.  Come and see a working model of the railway station in 1900; see the sweet counter at Hanson's and weigh some dolly mixtures in lbs and ozs while using a traditional till; see a model of the Village Hall with  a Saturday night disco; and much more.  This is the story of your museum in 96 Shenley Road which is ten years old this November. A lookback at some of our Exhibitions and the local history that inspired them. And here's a shot of the tireless workers who brought you this extravaganza!

New Exhibition Work-in-Progress

Our new Exhibition is called Your Museum At 10 and is a sort of 'greatest hits'. It features many of the best items from our previous 15 exhibitions and lots of your favourite memories of Elstree and Borehamwood.  So we will have Hansons, the Village Hall, the Lynx Club and a working model of the station as it was in 1900 among many other delights.  Our photos show the team hard at work with the new railway layout, and you might spot the Village Hall in the background.  Opening this Saturday at 10 am. See you there!

New Exhibition On The Way

For #MemoriesMonday we have a photo taken by Mary Hanson of the shelves inside her shop in the 60s. Maybe you can recognise your favourite sweet! The Museum is now closed until Tuesday 12th September while we prepare our new Exhibition. We are celebrating our tenth year in 96 Shenley Road by looking back at our local history and featuring the 15 Exhibitions we have created for you in that time. You will be amazed at the topics we have covered when we open again. And we feature such important memories as Hansons and many others.  Look out for All Our Yesterdays - A Rewind Through Time coming soon.

New Wall Display In The 96 Cafe

We have a new display down the wall in the cafe on the ground floor of 96 Shenley Road. Here's a short explanation of the new panels :

Working with a collection of selected artefacts from Elstree and Borehamwood Museum, artists Anji Archer and Christina Armstrong of Open Art Box CIC, facilitated a series of six two hour workshops which took place at St Michael and All Angels Church in Borehamwood between March and June 2023.

These workshops ran on Monday afternoons where already a community group called Chatter Tables was operating. Anyone was welcome to join.

The workshops explored themes inspired by the Museum’s collection and the area’s local history. Each workshop focused on a different theme and encouraged sharing of stories amongst the group about their memories of Borehamwood. The participants were given the opportunity to learn more about the history of their local area as part of the workshops.

Here are some of the items they created :

The Friends Visit The Bow Street Museum

After our last Friends talk by Vicki Pipe from The Bow Street Museum in March, she kindly invited us to visit the Museum in Covent Garden. Here are a few shots of us during the visit and there will be more and a write-up in the next Friends Newsletter which will be with you shortly.

Make sure you visit the Museum next time you are in the area! Visit their website here.