13 Oct 2025
A new exhibition has opened in Harpenden’s Museum providing a picture of what life was like in the village before the outbreak of the First World War changed life forever.
In 1979 Harpenden’s History Society ran a competition asking for personal recollections from the period before 1914. It attracted 15 contributions with the age of entrants ranging up to 100 years old, and now forms the basis of this new exhibition
The contributors remembered such things as the Statty Fair on Church Green, the burning down of St John’s Church, the shops in Harpenden, horses and carts but no cars, and early school life.
Trustee David Kendall said: “The exhibition shows that in some ways things have not changed, such as potholes in the roads and long working days.
“On the other hand, children spent their days outside, playing in the street, roaming in the countryside, or skating on Harpenden’s ponds. Outside lavatories at home and no central heating made life a lot less comfortable than nowadays!”
There will also be an ever-popular display of Then and Now photos showing how Harpenden has changed over the last 125 years. The exhibition continues until the end of January.
For an absorbing life story and a treasure trove of detail about Harpenden and its people, together with reflections on national and international events, see Theodora’s Journals written by Harpenden resident, Theodora Wilson, covering the period from 1885 to 1937 (reprinted 2025). Copies may be
purchased from the Museum, in the Eric Morecambe Centre, which is ordinarily open 11am-3pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
