The Society’s 75th Anniversary Celebration, with cake and drinks, starts at 7:00 pm on Wed 10 Sep 2025 in the Civic Centre, Berkhamsted. Visitors are always welcome @ £5 at the door.

An evening of personal reminiscences by those who have lived in Berkhamsted for all or most of the last 75 years, including readings from Richard Mabey’s “love affair” about growing up in Berkhamsted from his book Home Country.

Come and celebrate Berkhamsted’s architecture and culture at this year’s Heritage Open Days

This year’s HODs will be between 12 and 21 Sep 2025
More information on our Programme page

What was it like to work at one of Hertfordshire’s most iconic factories? A new book by Dacorum Heritage reveals the untold stories of Ovaltine’s local legacy.

Entitled A Wander Through Ovaltine the book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the archive rescued from the factory upon its closure in 2002 and cared for by Dacorum Heritage, the accredited museum for the Dacorum area.

The locally designed and printed book features stunning photographs of the factory, as well as products and artworks. The visuals sit alongside memories of former employees, who have shared their stories with Dacorum Heritage as part of an oral history project.

Dacorum Heritage stores and preserves over 11,000 artefacts from the Ovaltine Factory, which was open from 1913-2002 and in its heyday exported the malt-based drink around the world. The publication serves as a ‘printed exhibition’, offering a glimpse into the rich archive and the story it tells about the hard work, creativity and community that powered this local industry with a global reach.

“We are thrilled to be sharing the Ovaltine Collection with the wider public,” says museum manager Melissa Linsey. “As a small charity with limited exhibition space, we are delighted to be able to create a publication that can be enjoyed and treasured and that will instil pride in our local industrial past. The publication captures the highlights of this archive – from objects such as an Ovaltine Maid Costume to the reminiscences of former employees that otherwise would have been lost for good.”

The publication will have its special launch at the Kings Langley Carnival on Saturday 21 June, a short distance from where the factory building still stands today. At the carnival launch, Dacorum Heritage invites the community to share their stories of Ovaltine and its impact on the local area.

A Wander Through Ovaltine will be on sale for £12 at the Kings Langley Carnival and for £14 (RRP) from the Dacorum Heritage website here or call on 01442 879525 for assistance. The book will be stocked at many libraries in the local area.

A Wander Through Ovaltine is the culmination of Dacorum Heritage’s ‘A Taste of Ovaltine Project,’ funded by the Garfield Weston Foundation and Arts Council England.

For more information, or if you have Ovaltine memories you would like Dacorum Heritage to record and preserve, please contact Dacorum Heritage’s Ovaltine Project Assistant: Lauren Wilson here

Northchurch Social Centre invites local people and supporters to be part of something special: its first ever Giving Week, running from 16th to 23rd May 2025.

The Centre is a charity at the heart of our community, supporting residents near and far for over 50 years with a space to meet, learn, play, dance, grow, socialise and flourish together – more than just a hall for hire. The Centre and its trustees have a desire to support the community further, and the goal of Giving Week is simple: to rally both financial donations and volunteer involvement that will help expand the Centre’s reach, improve its facilities, and amplify its positive impact across the community. 

To help celebrate 100 Years of Hertfordshire libraries in 2025 during Local History Month and to raise monies for Berkhamsted Library, Berkhamsted Local History and Museum Society will be giving a talk at the library on Tuesday 6th May at 7:00 pm. 

The poster above includes a QR code that will take you straight to the page on which tickets may be purchased. Alternatively these can be obtained here or at the library in  person.

In 2025 Berkhamsted CC celebrate their 150th anniversary. This talk by Julian Dent will give a history of cricket in general but particularly focusing on the local team.
Wed 12 Mar 2025 at 8pm in the Wellcome Great Hall, Town Hall Berkhamsted. Visitors are always welcome @ £5 at the door (this talk preceded by AGM).

Starting tours on 8 to 9 March and again in May 2025.

“[Whipsnade] Zoo is woven through the fabric of many local people’s  lives starting with their own childhood, then taking their kids and finally taking their grandchildren.  Also the zoo has been a big employer locally — whether long term as permanent staff, or as a seasonal opportunity for youngsters getting their first taste of paid employment.” (Presenter, Whipsnade Zoo).

New book available (£9.99) and on Kindle (£4.99) from Amazon: “Tim Prouse combines meticulous research with an easily readable style. He has lived in the Northchurch area all his life and is a regular contributor to Berkhamsted’s local history journal, The Chronicle.”

A talk by Dr Wendy Morrison about regional archaeology local to Berkhamsted.
Wed 12 Feb 2025 at 8pm in the Wellcome Great Hall, Town Hall Berkhamsted.
Visitors are always welcome @ £5 at the door.

In 2025, Berkhamsted Cricket Club (BCC) will be 150 years old and plans to mark the anniversary with a series of special events; details can be seen here

All past & present players and their families & friends, plus residents of Berkhamsted and surrounding towns and villages who have had a close sporting or social association with the Cricket Club over the years, are invited to join in a ‘Grand Reunion’ day at the Kitchener’s Field ground in the town on Sunday 29th June 2025. To note your interest in attending and then receive further details, please email here