13 Oct 2026
In 1986 the Harpenden History Society ran a competition for recollections of life in the town before 1930, which attracted contributions from as far afield as South Africa.
Now a new exhibition in Harpenden’s Museum, on the lower floor of the Eric Morecambe Centre, explores Everyday Life in Inter-War Harpenden, drawing on those memories as well as material from other sources, including the Society’s extensive photographic archive.
David Kendall, the society’s archivist, said: “The exhibition provides a picture of what living in Harpenden was like in those days of growth between the World Wars, during which the town doubled in size. The focus is on the High Street, living and working, health and childhood.”
Chairman Roger Butterworth added: “During the period, the Waverley Silk Mill, formerly brewery, on the High Street, was demolished and was replaced by High Street Methodist Church, Woolworths (now the Library), Boots and Sainsbury’s first shop in the town.
“When, in the 1960s, Sainsbury’s moved to their present site, Boots expanded into the space vacated.”
The exhibition, which runs to January, was conceived, researched and mounted by a team of volunteers led by David Kendall. The museum is usually open 11am-3pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10.30am-3.30pm on Saturdays. Admission is free.
The Society is run by volunteers, with no governmental grant or subsidy. Membership of the Society helps to support the exhibitions. Members can attend the monthly talks given by local people on subjects of local interest. These are also open to the public but a voluntary donation of £5 is requested.
Members also receive a hard copy of the regular newsletter, the current edition of which featuring the history of Harpenden’s Breweries is also available to read or download on the Society’s website.
