British Schools Museum - Hitchin

  British school museum 

Date : October 2024

Location:  Hitchin 

Public/abandoned Public

When looking for a location to explore, we stumbled upon this lovely little hidden gem in the middle of a town/city I have never been to. After spending almost 40 minutes trying to park, I found a car park. We got out of the car and headed down to the British School Museum. It cost £13 for me and my friend to go in, as under 5s are free. We paid and went on our way. A lovely volunteer gave us a rough guided tour and let us explore a bit more after she had finished. The school was really interesting to see, and it was fascinating to see how things used to be back in the olden days.

The school is Grade 2 listed and dates back to the Edwardian and Victorian times.  it had a  house for the headmaster and headmistress. It first opened in 1810 with 200 boys and 100 girls and was opened by a local loyalist, William Wilshere. The school room that opened was the first monitorial school for the poor.

By 1904, more classrooms were added, and in 1929, the school became too small and worn out, so it was transferred to a new school. During World War II, the school was used for evacuees. It was in operation until 1969 when it closed. The building was then taken over by North Hertfordshire College but left in 1990. In 1994, Hitchin British School Trust was formed and acquired the building.