July 2010

Not many items to report this month, but important news about the photographic slide collection of the late Reg Bonfield, and a link to the History of England under Henry IV, which includes some details of a royal visit to Hitchin in July 1403, when the King was on his way to Shrewsbury; the Battle of Shrewsbury took place barely two weeks later.

How old is Hertfordshire's Landscape?

This year's Hitchin Festival includes three different events organised by the Society. The first took place in the sumptuous surroundings of the Adam Room at Hitchin Priory on Monday 28th June.

This event was a presentation by an old friend of the Society, Professor Tom Williamson from the University of East Anglia, on the history of Hertfordshire's landscape. We were treated to a thought-provoking talk as he exploded some myths and gave a well-researched view of the development of the county's landscape over the centuries.

There were many Society members in the audience and the event was a sell-out. Professor Williamson rounded off his talk with a question-and-answer session, with some questions coming from members of our Society who had clearly found the talk very interesting.

Reg Bonfield

The estate of Reg Bonfield, who died last year at the grand age of 99, has donated all Reg’s slides of Hitchin to the town. The slides were given to the Hitchin School Old Boys, who have passed them to our Society as we have an established film archive and safe storage. Richard Whitmore, our film archivist, has written to Roy Perriment, thanking him for his most generous gift of this invaluable record of the town.

Woodhall Park

A group of members had a fascinating visit to Woodhall Park, near Watton-at-Stone, on a slightly damp day, Tuesday 1st June.

This eighteenth century mansion house has been much better known for many years as Heath Mount School. However despite school activities, much of the original decoration inside has survived and is receiving continuing restoration.

We were greeted by Ralph Abel Smith, whose family still owns the house but who has retreated to the substantial stable block now converted to a comfortable home. Mr Abel Smith firstly took us around the outside of the house so that we could see the architecture and take in the distant, unspoilt rural views across the valley, even though it is so close to north London.

In around 1775 Sir Thomas Rumbold, an Indian nabob, commissioned his architect, Thomas Leverton, to build him a fine house where he could return to live when his duties in India were finished. This was to include furnishings and everything he would need, so that he could move in immediately on the day he returned home. This is the mansion we see now. Sadly Sir Thomas died after having lived in the house for only a couple of years. The next owner, who got into financial difficulties early in the nineteenth century, sold the house to the Abel Smiths who have owned it ever since.

It was interesting to see the well-preserved interiors and the parts of the house under restoration, currently the grand staircase. The most impressive room is, without doubt, the Print Room, probably the best of only five surviving examples in the country. During the restoration of this room all the classical prints were painstakingly removed, the walls repaired and repainted and the prints re-pasted to the walls.

This was an impressive slice of history and a memorable visit, made all the more enjoyable by our host and guide’s knowledge and enthusiasm.

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Wymondley Priory

Another group of members visited nearby Wymondley Priory on Tuesday 22nd June, a warm sunny evening. Unfortunately our host, John Hope, had been delayed in Italy so we had a self-guided tour of the historic barn, built by James Needham around 1541, and the immaculate gardens.

The Priory was founded by the Augustinians around 1216 and rebuilt by Needham at about the same time that he built the barn. Sadly on this occasion we were unable to see inside the house; disappointing, but we still enjoyed visiting an important and beautifully presented local historical site.

There is a fuller description of the Priory on our July 2009 page (see link, right).

Outings reports and images courtesy of Stephen Bradford-Best.

History of England under Henry IV

Finally, a link to an interesting book, History of England under Henry IV, written over a century ago by James Hamilton Wylie, M.A., "one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools". In July 1403, King Henry was on his way to the Battle of Shrewsbury, where his troops fought against the rebel Henry "Hotspur" Percy of Northumberland.

The Queen's Remembrancer Wardrobe Accounts show that on 6 July King Henry stayed in Hitchin, and the records show that Thomas More, Keeper of the Queen's Wardrobe, paid Hitchin's Carmelites 26s 8d (£1.34) for entertaining the King. There were some fifteen thousand casualties in the battle two weeks later, the rebels were routed, and Hotspur killed.

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This page updated 26th July 2010