Having existed as a settlement since the 8th century (and even granted its town charter by King Henry VIII in 1539), the town of Hemel Hempstead was later developed as one of the UK’s first new towns.
This unique archive film package features extracts charting the development and lives of the town’s residents from 1951 to 1962. See famous character actor Harry Locke playing the part of a bricklayer passing through Hemel Hempstead in the Development Corporation’s promotional film Home of Your Own (1951); and journey along the recently opened (and speed limitless!) M1 in 1959.
Image credit: Letchworth – Where it all started, 1952 (East Anglian Film Archive)
Past screenings
15 February, Carers at the Centre in the Park
19 February, Adeyfield Community Centre
27 February, Dacorum Heritage Trust
7 March, Frogmore Paper Mill
23 March, Church of the Resurrection
29 March, Felden WI