Books on Hitchin

Over the past week I've began flicking through the many books and booklets I have on Hitchin, and couldn't believe how many I've accumulated over the years. I'm amazed by how much information has already been printed on Hitchin, and think it's lovely how many Hitchin people, past and present, never tire of hearing  about their town.

Before The Paint Was Dry
A history of the school
that once stood in Old Hale Way
By Robert J Prebble

People, Places and Past Times of Hitchin
by E. Aillie Latchmore

As I have a huge pile of Hitchin books on my bookshelves, which I'm guessing is only a handful of those printed over the years, I thought I'd share their titles and authors with you in case you want to try and track them down.








I must admit many, if not all, are now out of print, sadly.  But shops like Eric T. Moore in Hitchin or Amazon and eBay occasionally have secondhand copies that you might want to buy.  But please be warned,  they are often quite expensive.

An Artist Looks at Hitchin
By
F. L. Griggs

Hitchin A Pictorial History
by Richard Field

Hitchin Inns and Incidents
By Pat Gadd and Ron Pigram

The Story of Methodism At Hitchin
By
Reginald L. Hine

A Most Lovely School
A brief history of Strathmore School
John Street and Carol Arrowsmith

Underground Hitchin
by Simon Walker

Hitchin Old and New
by Reginald. L Hine

Hitchin Past and Present
by Pat Gadd

Fifty Years of Change
by Pat Gadd

Wilshere-Dacre School
by H.C. Edwards and B. Moles

Hitchin Arcade. Then and Now
Hitchin Historical Society

Hitchin
by Alan Fleck

Relics of an Un-common Attorney
by Reginald L. Hine

The History of Hitchin
volumes 1 and II
By Reginald L. Hine

Discovering Hitchin
 by Priscilla Douglas and  Pauline Humphries

Hitchin
Simon Walker

A Stroll round the Village of old Walsworth
by Janet Walker and Margaret Watson

The Book of Hitchin
by Anthony M Foster

Do you Remember?
by Priscilla M Douglas

The School on the Hill
A History of HGGS
by Priscilla M Douglas

Hats off to the Past, Coats off to the Future.
A History of Wilshere-Dacre School
 by Amanda Brittany

Market Town
By Anthony M Foster

My best selling ebook Her Last Lie is available HERE  All ebook royalties go to Cancer Research UK in memory of my amazing sister. Her Last Lie is a psychological thriller, with a  chapter devoted to Hitchin, and the main character lives in Letchworth.

Around 1919
Boyhood Memories of Hitchin
Robert Walmsley

UPDATE JULY 2019 - With thanks to Mike Clarke for this update on books for sale about Hitchin.

My best selling ebook Her Last Lie is available HERE  All ebook royalties go to Cancer Research UK in memory of my amazing sister. Her Last Lie is a psychological thriller, with a  chapter devoted to Hitchin, and the main character lives in Letchworth.

Halsey's Delicatessen and Tearooms

Halsey's Tearooms

No. 9 Market Place, Hitchin is now the home of 'Halsey's Delicatessen and Tearooms', but it was discovered when some alteration work was being done forty or so years ago, and a Tudor fireplace was found, that the building dates back to as far back as 1500.  The fireplace, when cleaned, showed various scratchings with many dates, the earliest being around that time.

In the 16th century a survey of Hitchin Rectory taken by Trinity College, suggested the building was once part of  'The Parsonage House '

From 1767-1847 the building was a public house called 'The Artichoke'. Reginald Hine described in his 'History of Hitchin' how a football match was played in the town in 1772, and the ball was kicked in the doorway of the Artichoke.  Gypsy, Frederick Draper who was born in 1797 and lived until he was 105 had a standing engagement to play his fiddle in the Artichoke.

From 1878-1926 the building was first used by Martha Flint (milliner), later Martha Flint's & Ebenezer Allsop and finally Ebenezer Allsop (gent's milliner).   Halsey's staff through the years have often claimed to have seen the ghostly presence of Martha Flint.  Martha Flint did live on the property for some time with her apprentice, Beatrice Haydon.

In 1948, the building became G.W. Halsey & Son.  Many years later it was bought out by Jacksons of Picadilly Ltd, but still traded in the traditional Hitchin name.

In January 2006 Kirsty and Damian Caldwell bought the business.  Their website can be found HERE

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My best selling ebook Her Last Lie is available HERE  All ebook royalties go to Cancer Research UK in memory of my amazing sister. Her Last Lie is a psychological thriller, with a  chapter devoted to Hitchin, and the main character lives in Letchworth.

The Coopers Arms, Tilehouse Street, Hitchin.

In c.1750, 81 Tilehouse Street, Hitchin was owned  by the brewer William Lucas.  Later, it is believed that the historian Reginald Hine and the etcher F. L. Griggs, would meet in the parlour.

John Webb was the landlord until he died in 1887.  He would run a horse-drawn taxi to the railway station to collect customers.  Both John Webb, and the next landlord, Edward Chapman, would hire out bikes, brakes and waggonettes from the premises.

The Coopers Arms was bought by McMullens in 1887.

It is said that the building is home to strange paranormal happenings. Reported is the manifestation of a white cat that walks through the bar and disappears through the wall. It’s said that before renovations took place some years ago, when there was a small bar at the front of the public house, the landlord’s dog would bark repetitively at the wall for no apparent reason. A dark, shadowy figure of a monk is said to appear at the Coopers Arms. It is claimed that some of the pub’s regulars have seen the monk, which is reputed to float through the pub and out into Tilehouse Street. Some even believe the monk to have one leg. A regular, in 1971, reported his beer glass apparently moving along the bar by an invisible presence. 
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My best selling ebook Her Last Lie is available HERE  All ebook royalties go to Cancer Research UK in memory of my amazing sister. Her Last Lie is a psychological thriller, with a  chapter devoted to Hitchin, and the main character lives in Letchworth.

The Market Place...the very heart of Hitchin - Reginald Hine

It wasn't until early in the 20th Century that a Saturday market was introduced to Hitchin, first on a Saturday morning and then, due to its success, it increased to a full day.

The market flourished and it would have been very noisy, with the hustle and bustle of the shoppers and the cries from market traders.

The most famous trader was probably James Rennies, an Australian-born preacher who sold bibles and books from his travelling van.  Other traders included the Day brothers, John Pigg who would bring along an upright piano and, to sell his song sheets, would play all the well know songs of the day.

Another market trader would sell sweets made at a factory in Bancroft.  Hard Mixed and Bulls Eyes were wrapped and laid out on large trays that attracted wasps in their droves.

Early in the 20th century the south west corner of the market was primarily for the trading of straw plait.

My late aunt, Pat Gadd-Thurstance's memories of the Market Place as a child in the late twenties, early thirties are very touching.

I recall walking along the cobbles towards the Market Place, I would have been six or seven at the time.  It was the end of the day, a time for bargains.   All would be quiet as my mother and I made our way along the darkened streets, lit only by gas lamps.  I believed I could see ghosts darting out of the dark corners of the shadowy streets.   As we approached the market a cacophony of hoarse cries from the traders, and the hustle and bustle of traffic and people would assail our ears.  The stalls set slantwise across the square from the High Street  across to Sun Street, would each have a naphtha flare hung from its canvas covered frame.  The hiss and flaring of this as each gust of wind threatened to extinguish its flame would cast yet more eerie shadows over the scene.  

In 1939 market stalls moved to St Mary's Square to make room for a static water tank which was installed for the fire brigade to use should Hitchin get bombed.  St. Mary's Square had been completed in 1930 after the demolition of the slums during the 1920s.  After the war the tank was removed and the Market Place became a car park.

Today Hitchin Market Place is attractively cobbled, and has been the venue for French markets, The Rhythms of the World celebrations, Christmas celebrations and much, much more.

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My best selling ebook Her Last Lie is available HERE  All ebook royalties go to Cancer Research UK in memory of my amazing sister. Her Last Lie is a psychological thriller, with a  chapter devoted to Hitchin, and the main character lives in Letchworth.