2025

15 January

Brocket babies:

Brocket Hall, a maternity

hospital in World War 2

         Helen George           

  Brocket Hall was requisitioned by the War Office in 1939 to be used by the City of London Maternity Hospital before and after the destruction of the in-patient section of the hospital by enemy action. A total of 8,338 “Brocket babies” were born in the safety of Brocket Hall between 1939 and 1949. Helen will tell us about this episode in the life of the Hall. 

19 February

The surprising history

of The Swan Inn, Stevenage 

Jon Mein

  For some 300 years, what is now The Grange at 5 High Street, Stevenage, was a posh coaching inn attracting a wealthy clientele that wanted a home from home as they moved up and down the Great North Road. It may have been the largest inn in Hertfordshire. In this talk, Jon will “follow the money” to tell the story behind the Inn's growth during the 1700s and uncover the truth behind its closure in 1847, just before the arrival of the railway in 1850.

19 March

The Wheathampstead

Saxon burial

Ray Wilson

  A unique bronze ewer found in a Saxon burial at Wheat-hampstead in the late 19th century and its companion glass 'palm-cup' are both in the British Museum. Yet, 140 years later, neither has a complete, coherent and convincing provenance. Attempting to improve this situation, Ray Wilson has spent two years dispelling myths, correcting mistakes and solving mysteries, in particular about the palm-cup, but also about the ewer.

16 April

The story of

Wheathampstead station

Patrick McNeill       

  Wheathampstead Station was opened in 1860 on the new line that ran between Hatfield and Dunstable. The sidings and goods yard were on the far side of Station Road. The station was closed to passengers in 1965 and to freight in 1967; the bridge across the road was demolished in August 1967. The platform has been restored by a group of volunteers sponsored by the Parish Council. Patrick will recount the history of the station from its opening to the present day. 

(The talk will be preceded by a brief AGM.)

21 May

The picture postcard; an eyewitness to history

Mark Pardoe

  In this talk, Mark will show what the images on postcards, together with the messages written on the back, can tell us about social and local history, particularly of the Edwardian period.

  This image is of a branch of Boots the Chemist. Can you tell us where it was? Email whs@wheathampsteadheritage.org.uk

18 June

Allotments:

a history

Kate Harwood

  Allotments have a long and varied history entwined with the end of feudalism, the rise of self-help and of the philanthropists, and the development of local government from parish vestries, through Poor Law Unions to the local authorities we have today. This talk will look at the start of the movement in the 17th century Civil War and trace its gradual rise through the 18th century  including the  Quaker and other non-Conformist industrial employers. This accel-erated through the 19th century with the urbanisation of the country and peaked during times of necessity during the World Wars.

16 July

Jack of Herts:

Jacobean Hertfordshire

Elizabeth Eastwood

  2025 marks the 400^th anniversary of the death of James I at Theobalds Palace in Hertfordshire. A keen huntsman, James was known as “the wisest fool in Christendom”. He would stay at his palace in Royston, where he could indulge his passion for hunting and debate with academics from nearby Cambridge. In this talk Elizabeth will tell us about James' visits to the county and what life was like beyond the palace walls, including an experiment in refrigeration, a notorious witch trial and the curious case of dognapping James' favourite hound!

 There will not be a meeting in August

17 September

The history and origins

of Harpenden

Tony Berk

  Harpenden's history spans at least 800 years, but not as long as some other settlements in the district.  800 years ago, it was an insignificant hamlet and chapel, just a small part of the much more important and extensive parish of Wheathampstead, with its minster church and entry in Domesday Book.  So what happened?  But, much more interesting, when did Harpenden really begin to predominate and particularly over Wheathampstead itself?  The answer is not straightforward and not, for instance, simply due to the effects of the railway.

15 October

Policing

Wheathampstead

before 'the police'

Elaine Saunders

  Hertfordshire established its county constabulary in 1841, but Dr Elaine Saunders' talk will look at how Wheat-hampstead maintained law and order before this, particularly during the eighteenth century. The talk sheds light on county authority structures and ancient systems of policing. It also introduces the men holding office, what their duties entailed and the type of offending they routinely dealt with. Finally, it considers the social changes which led to the formation of the constabulary.  

19 November

17 December

2024

17 January

A Roman palace at

Verulamium: and other

stories

         Kris Lockyear           

 Kris Lockyear and his team of volunteers have completed another season of their geophysical survey of that part of the Roman city of Verulamium that lay within what is now the Gorhambury estate, on the western side of Bluehouse Hill in St Albans. The survey continues to produce some remarkable results. Kris will bring us up to date. 

21 February

The Great Women of

St Albans

Tony Berk

 The great women of any historic town or city are often neglected. This talk redresses the balance by describing 2,000 years of local history through the lives and fascinating stories of the important women who have had an effect on the history of St Albans. It shows how crucial these women were to St Albans and district and talks of their context in both local and national history.

20 March

What's in a name?

What do the street names

of Wheathampstead tell

us about our village?

Dianne Payne       

 Origins of street names are not always easy to determine. Some names are recent, while others have a long history. This illustrated talk will explore how the historic, cultural and symbolic priorities of Wheathampstead are reflected in its street names. Which key figures in the village were thought worthy of remembrance and how many street names have changed over time?  Whether you are a newcomer or a long-term resident, come and discover more about the name of the street where you live and share your thoughts about our village.

17 April

The mysterious 

watercourses of

Wheathampstead Mill

Mike Smith

  It may not be obvious today but the valley close to Wheathampstead Mill had a series of puzzling watercourses many of which have been filled in, some of them recently. What were these mysterious watercourses and what insights do they give us about the history of medieval Wheathampstead? This talk by Mike Smith will be of particular interest to members who live in King Edward Place. 

15 May

The long story of the

short St Albans canal

Jon Mein and

Frank Iddiols 

  In 1795, an Act approving the construction of a canal linking St Albans and places like Wheathampstead and Harpenden to the new Grand Junction Canal and the wider world was given Royal Assent. Jon Mein and Frank Iddiols consider why the canal was never built, who was for and who was against the expensive proposals, and the planned route for a replacement railway service.

19 June

The archaeology of

Wheathampstead

David Thorold

 From mesolithic graves in the churchyard through Belgic pottery under the bypass, Devil's Dyke, Roman remains at Wick Avenue and Turners Hall Farm, a seventh century ewer near Wheathampstead House, a post-medieval coin hoard on Nomansland and much more, Wheathamp-stead's long history is brought to life by the work of archaeologists. David Thorold, curator at St Albans Museum, will talk about some of these and other finds. 

17 July

The Shaws in

Hertfordshire - the lives

and friends of GBS and

Charlotte in the county.

Philippa Parker

  George Bernard Shaw, playwright and, with his wife Charlotte, left-wing political activist, wrote nearly 60 plays and more than 250,000 letters, articles and pamphlets. From 1906 until his death in 1950 at the age of 94, he and Charlotte lived at Shaw's Corner in Ayot St Lawrence from where they enjoyed an active social life, including with the Cherry-Garrards at Lamer. 

 There will not be a meeting in August

18 September

Old Wheathampstead

on film

Chris Blackler

  Chris, a member of the History Society and a long-term resident  of Wheathampstead, showed us three old films of the village and shared some of his memories. A lively discussion followed in which members added some of their own reminiscences. There are links to all three films on the Links page of this website.

16 October

Reconstructing the

medieval church of St

Mary's, Rickmansworth,

from wills

Heather Falvey  

  In an inspirational talk, Heather showed how she had used 15th and 16th century wills as a source of information about the medieval church of St Mary's in Rickmansworth, including its statues, chapels, windows and tombs at that time. Members were inspired to look into the possibility of doing similar research about St Helen's Church in Wheathampstead.

20 November

Highwaymen and women

of Hertfordshire

Elizabeth Eastwood

  The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were the heyday (if that's the right word) for highway robbery and Hertfordshire, having the main roads coming north from London, had more than its fair share of highwaymen and women. Elizabeth introduced us to many of them, contrasting the sometimes romantic image with the often harsh reality.   

18 December

The rise and fall

of the manor

of Wheathampstead

Mike Smith 

  Starting in the Anglo-Saxon period, Mike will talk us through the emergence and growth of the manor of Wheathampstead in the medieval period, its gradual decline thereafter, and the separation of Harpenden from Wheathampstead in the 19th century. 

  Mulled wine and mince pies will be served!