Dacorum Heritage Trust

Dacorum Heritage
AbbreviationDH
PredecessorThe Dacorum Museum Advisory Committee (DMAC)
Formation1979 (as DMAC)
1993 (as the DHT)
TypeCharity
Registration no.1026161
PurposeTo promote and record the heritage of Dacorum
HeadquartersThe old Fire Station, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, UK
Region
Dacorum, England
FieldsHeritage
Websitewww.dacorumheritage.org.uk

Dacorum Heritage (DH) is a local history advocacy group in the United Kingdom. It collects and records the history of the Borough of Dacorum, Hertfordshire, in the south of England, and aims to encourage the appreciation of the heritage of Dacorum.[1]

History

In 1979 the Dacorum Museum Advisory Committee (DMAC) was formed to advise Dacorum District Council on heritage matters. In September 1993 the Dacorum Heritage Trust was founded and set up an artefact collection and archive in an old fire station building behind Berkhamsted Civic Centre in 1994.[2]

In 2014, DHT took on responsibility for the paper archive of the local newspaper, the Hemel Hempstead Gazette & Express.[3] The Trust has also been involved in the preservation of a set of rare pre-reformation religious wall paintings which were uncovered inside a 15th-century cottage at 130–136 Piccotts End.[4] The Trust launched an appeal in 2014 to raise money to buy the row of cottages.[5]

Collections

Although the Trust is an Arts Council England Accredited Museum, it lacks a permanent public display space and operates as a museum store. Its collection is held in Berkhamsted and can only be visited by appointment.[6] The museum store holds over 100,000 objects relating to the history of the local towns of Berkhamsted, Bovingdon, Chipperfield, Flamstead, Hemel Hempstead, Kings Langley, Markyate and Tring.[7] Archaeological artefacts held by the Trust include flint tools from the Paleolithic period, fragments from Roman Villas at Boxmoor, Northchurch and Gadebridge Park; a Romano-British woman's skeleton excavated at Cow Roast, and artefacts from Kings Langley Palace.[8] Also within the Trust's holdings is a collection of prints and engravings by the Hemel Hempstead artist Lefevre James Cranstone.[9]

The Trust also holds historical exhibitions in local libraries, and publishes journals on local heritage.[10]

Proposed Dacorum Museum: The Bury in Hemel Hempstead

Dacorum Heritage Trust has proposed that The Bury, a Grade II* listed house in Hemel Hempstead,[11] should be converted into a museum and art gallery for Dacorum, to display a collection of archaeological and historical artefacts from the surrounding area. The project is currently awaiting necessary funding and planning permission to proceed.[12][13]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Our Vision and Values". www.dacorumheritage.org.uk. The Dacorum Heritage Trust Ltd. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  2. ^ "History of the Trust". www.dacorumheritage.org.uk. The Dacorum Heritage Trust Ltd. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  3. ^ Greenslade, Roy (10 January 2014). "Local newspaper heads into the future by relinquishing its office". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  4. ^ Heritage Open Day at Piccotts End. The Dacorum Heritage Trust.
  5. ^ "Trust in bid to save historic panel". BBC News. 13 March 2014. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  6. ^ "Who We Are". www.dacorumheritage.org.uk. The Dacorum Heritage Trust Ltd. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  7. ^ "The Dacorum Heritage Trust Ltd. | Culture24". www.culture24.org.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  8. ^ "Archaeology". www.dacorumheritage.org.uk. The Dacorum Heritage Trust Ltd. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  9. ^ "New Civic Centre display puts the spotlight on creative artists of Dacorum's past". Berkhamsted & Tring Gazette. 29 September 2013. Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  10. ^ Reynolds, Chris. "Hertfordshire Genealogy: Web Site: Dacorum Heritage Trust". www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  11. ^ "The Bury, Dacorum". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  12. ^ "Museum & Art Gallery – The Phoenix Project" (PDF). Newsletter. No. 72. Autumn 2013. Dacorum Heritage Trust. 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  13. ^ Averill, James (19 October 2017). "Plans for museum at The Bury in Hemel Hempstead gear up". Hemel Hempstead Gazette. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.