Welcome to the Harpenden Society


Actively involved in Harpenden's future


Harpenden Sign

WHY NOT JOIN THE SOCIETY AND BE PART OF HARPENDENS FUTURE?


The Society promotes and encourages a range of local activities and initiatives with public meetings and community events.


Were here to help with the concerns people have on things like schools, healthcare, housing, parking, pollution, overdevelopment, lack of infrastructure, and now more than ever climate change with all the important environmental issues affecting the future.


With almost 900 members and an effective committee we can engage with the local community to highlight issues, lobby politicians and present findings via our web site, quarterly newsletter and social media.


Joining is easy and inexpensive. For full details of how to join the society, including how to apply online, please click here.

Seniors Fair 10th April - Eric Morecambe Centre

 

The Harpenden Trust is hosting the popular Seniors Fair at the Eric Morecambe Centre in Rothamsted Park, Harpenden, AL5 2FR on 10th April from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm. Over 30 exhibitors will attend, including charities, voluntary and commercial organisations offering a range of support, health, medical and welfare services, and social activities of interest to Seniors. The Harpenden History Society will provide a preview of their new local history Museum. Entry to the Seniors Fair is free. Refreshments & cakes will be available from Harpenden Village WI (donations to the Rennie Grove Hospice). Come and discover what is available for yourself, a family member, friend or neighbour.


To download the Seniors' Fair brochure click here.


Councillor Anthony Rowlands and Councillor Gaskell with Rosemary Ross and David Keen in the Archive


Councillor Anthony Rowlands, Councillor Fiona Gaskell and Roger Butterworth at the entrance to the Harpenden  Museum

For more information go to the website

https://www.harpenden-history.org.uk/


Harpenden History Society Announces Harpenden Local History Day on 20 April 2024


With kind permission of the Eric Morecambe Centre, Harpenden, the Harpenden & District Local History Society, a charity, will be utilising the entire EMC for the day as Harpenden Local History Day, on Saturday 20 April, marking both the Society’s 50th anniversary and the official opening of our new Museum.


The event will be presided by Annie Brewster, High Sheriff of Hertfordshire 2024-25 (in Nomination).  Highlights to include exhibitions on the history of Harpenden and district, other local society exhibitions, a special children’s competition, and history talks throughout the day. 

Harpenden History Society showcases Fighting the Roman invasion at Wheathampstead


Cassivellaunus, the tribal leader believed to have fought the Romans at Wheathampstead is just one of many characters to be found at the Harpenden Local History Day on 20 April at the Eric Morecambe Centre.


Using rarely seen maps and images from its archive, the History Society will track the history of the area we now know as Harpenden from pre-Roman times to the present.  From Cassivellaunus to steam trains, to the Rothamsted Ramblers Ladies Hockey Club, you will see the town’s development from rural village to thriving town.


You will be able to track Harpenden’s growth on historic maps showing the spread of new building and communities over the centuries.  Notably, the dramatic expansion over the period 1879 to 1939.


The exhibition will be accompanied by short talks on key features of Harpenden’s past:


Dr Alan Punter – Victorian Village Life

Dr Alexander Thomas – Railways

David Kendall – Sports

Rosemary Ross – Harpenden Schools

Cllr Paul de Kort (right) and Jeff Phillips, Chairman Harpenden Society (left).

31st January Public Meeting

 

'Time running out for finalising Local Plan', says councillor


Without the submission, in an acceptable form of a local plan for St Albans City and District before the middle of next year, protection of key areas of the Green Belt against housing development might well be lost. The warning came from District and County Councillor Paul de Kort, addressing a public  meeting last week hosted by the Harpenden Society at the towns Katherine Warington School.


Cllr de Kort pointed out that although a recent statement by Secretary of State Michael Gove had indicated a move away from mandatory to advisory house building targets, it was clear that the requirement for SADC to sanction the building of just over 15,000 new homes between now and 2041, would not necessarily be eased. And, in answer to a question from the audience, he acknowledged that the outcome of the General Election later this year added a further element of uncertainty.


Although the council was keen to make maximum use of so-called brownfield sites in the District, surveys had shown that they could accommodate only around 900 dwellings.  It meant that land had therefore to be made available elsewhere for building about 11,000 more homes, which implied sacrificing Green Belt.  


In an ARUP group survey commissioned last year by SADC, the practicality and extent of some Green Belt development applications was questioned. Cllr de Kort cited the L&G groups wish to build around 550 homes on Green Belt land north of Bloomfield Road, Harpenden. It contrasted starkly with the figure of just 293 homes calculated by ARUP and influenced especially by the distance of the site from the town centre and consequent transport implications.


Paul de Kort commented: Putting together a local plan is a complex activity for any local authority. The particular circumstances of St Albans District multiply the challenge. I hope my presentation and responses to the audience's questions provided more clarity on the local context, the progress made to date and what remaining uncertainties there are to be resolved. Very recent ministerial statements appear to allow for greater consideration of specific local pressures and I welcomed that during the evening. It is something that we have been demanding for a long time."


A record breaking attendance of over 140 including many non members of the Harpenden Society were present filling the school hall for almost two hours.


The full slide presentation can be downloaded by clicking here.


NEWS

Click here to see a statement from SADC about the recent Government "designation" letter.



For more information about the Society

Newsletters
Newsletters

Newsletters
Meetings
Meetings

Meetings
Awards
Awards

Awards