9 Museums to Explore in Hertfordshire

The British Schools Museum in Hitchin bills itself as the 'Home of the Education Revolution', a bold claim but one that has a great deal of truth about it. The museum is built around an authentic early Victorian school established in the 1830s and is remarkably unaltered since it was opened. It includes a monitorial schoolroom based on the educational theories of Joseph Lancaster for 300 boys, which opened in 1837, and a rare galleried classroom, dating from 1853.

Bushey Museum and Art Gallery's art collection is the largest in Hertfordshire and is mainly from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with special interest in the Monro Circle of artists, Sir Hubert von Herkomer, Lucy Kemp-Welch and the pupils of their Art Schools and other Bushey art schools. Archives relating to the collection are held in the Local Studies Centre.

De Havilland Aircraft Museum is an organization set up to preserve Aircraft and other aviation related products produced by Sir Geoffrey deHavilland and his design team. The collection is built around the definitive prototype and restoration shops for the de Havilland Mosquito and also includes several examples of the de Havilland Vampire – the third operational jet aircraft in the world. The museum is the largest such museum devoted to one manufacturer in the country.

Hertford Museum was established by brothers Robert Thornton Andrews and William Frampton Andrews in 1903. The Museum cares for in excess of 100,000 objects. Collections include archaeology, paper ephemera, ethnography, fine art, geology, natural history, photographs, social history and the Hertfordshire Regiment collection.

Lowewood Museum showcases the history of the Borough of Broxbourne. Discover the history of the local area from prehistoric times to the present day. Explore the stories of those who have lived and worked here, from Royal Academy artist James Ward to the Pulhams of Broxbourne, one of the most important garden designers of the Victorian era.

Mill Green Museum is a restored 18th century working flour mill powered by water to produce flour and demonstrate historic milling practices. Its heart is a working watermill, with 18th and 19th century wooden machinery restored to full working order. It is in regular use to grind organic wheat for a local bakery and for retail sale. Visitors can explore the mill, see it working and chat to the miller on duty. Flour is sold in various sizes.

Tring Local History Museum reflects all aspects of life in and around Tring from the earliest days until the recent past, and records events, objects and the people who lived there. The exhibits include everything from a full-size giant sloth skeleton to real fleas dressed in Mexican traditional clothing, so tiny they have to be viewed through a microscope.

One of the beautiful museums which were filled with ancient treasures and some of the finest mosaics outside of the Mediterranean. You can explore the wonders of Roman life, immerse yourself in recreated Roman rooms and admire the craftsmanship of the intricate large-scale mosaics on display. A large portion of the Roman city remains unexcavated, being now park and agricultural land, though much has been built upon.

A beautiful and majestic museum, housed in the former offices of Benskins Brewery. The museum has displays of local history, industry and archaeology. These include Watford at War, Print and Brewing and a display on Watford Football Club – which includes some fabulous Elton John memorabilia.