We have been saddened by news of the death of Audrey Stewart on
7 September. Audrey was a committed and hard-working member of Hitchin Historical Society for many years, serving as our Librarian, and enduring many committee meetings, until illness caused her to relinquish that position. The Society’s well-organised and comprehensively-stocked library is a testimony to Audrey’s hard work over a long period.
Audrey’s talents as a local historian were perhaps most clearly revealed with the Society’s publication Two Minutes to the Station which she co-authored with Val Taplin. The extensively-researched book describes the history of the Victorian housing development in the triangle of land between Walsworth Road, Nightingale Road and Verulam Road that followed the coming of the railway in 1850. The book was a sell-out, and second-hand copies are hard to come by. Here is a picture of Audrey and Val at the book launch on 30 October 2010, with typical Scilla Douglas authors’ goody bags.
Audrey’s funeral will be held at Hitchin’s Holy Saviour Church, Radcliffe Road, SG5 1QG, at 3pm on Tuesday 3 October.
