21 Sep 2025
The history of farm life at Rothamsted Research in Harpenden was the subject of display of old photos at Rothamsted Manor as part of Heritage Open Day, including images of the laboratory, staff, chalk spreaders, ploughing and tractors.
Crop experimentation at Rothamsted began in 1843 and led to the transformation of the Manor from merely a country seat into the agricultural research establishment we know today. Harpenden was essentially an agricultural community until the opening of the railway which inspired massive house building from 1900 to WWII all around the village, but other than Rothamsted.
The photos were displayed by Harpenden and District Local HistorySociety, and trustee Philip Smith said: “The prosperity of Sir John Lawes, and his passion for the agricultural experimentation, guaranteed the preservation of Rothamsted as a working farm, devoid of development for housing. This, together with the Common, gives Harpenden its openness and unspoilt semi-rural appeal.”
The society’s next public lecture is on September 23 at 8pm at Harpenden High Street Methodist Church. Entitled Farming in Hertfordshire it will be presented by Ian Pigott, managing partner of Thrales End Farm and Business Centre. The lecture will cover the history of farming at Thrales End since the Pigott family arrived in 1907, the impact of the green revolution and how farming in the UK will change under the policies that have been adopted in the UK since Brexit. Visitors welcome; £5 donation requested. Free to members and students.
