North Hertfordshire Museum facts for kids
The North Hertfordshire Museum is a fantastic place where you can explore the history and heritage of the local area. It's located right next to the newly updated Hitchin Town Hall on Brand Street in Hitchin, Hertfordshire.
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A New Museum for Everyone
Around 2004 and 2005, the local council looked closely at its museum services. They found that people really loved visiting the old museums in Hitchin and Letchworth. However, the buildings themselves were getting old and weren't really suitable anymore. Also, the place where they stored all the museum's treasures was outdated.
So, they decided it was time for a change! One big idea was to close the two older museums. Instead, they would open one brand-new, modern museum and art gallery in a central location. They studied the idea of turning the Hitchin Town Hall into this new museum. The museum was designed by a company called Buttress, with the inside layout planned by Mather & Co. It officially opened its doors in July 2019, ready for visitors to explore!
Exploring the Galleries
The North Hertfordshire Museum has three main galleries with permanent displays. These are called Discovering North Herts, Living in North Herts, and The Terrace Gallery. There's also a special gallery just for temporary exhibitions that change regularly.
Discovering North Herts
This gallery takes you on an amazing journey through time! It tells the story of the North Hertfordshire area from the very beginning. Imagine, 90 million years ago, this whole area was underwater! The gallery shows how the land and towns have changed over millions of years, right up to how our towns are planned today.
Living in North Herts
In this gallery, you can discover how people lived in North Hertfordshire at different times in the past. It's organized by themes, so you can see what life was like for people in various ways. For example, you can learn about "Living off the Land" (how people farmed and found food), "Fun and Games" (what people did for entertainment), and "Making and Selling" (how people made things and traded them).
The Terrace Gallery
The Terrace Gallery also explores different themes. One of the coolest parts is the Football Collection. This was the very first collection of football items ever started in England! It was put together by Vic Wayling, who was the secretary of Hitchin Town F.C.. It started in 1956 and later moved to the Hitchin Museum in the 1980s. You can also see a display called "Collecting the World," which shows interesting objects from every continent around the globe!
The Exhibition Gallery
This gallery is dedicated to showing temporary exhibitions. This means the displays here change often, so there's always something new and exciting to see when you visit!
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