Film

Anglia TV comes to Hempstead (1961)

In this treasure from 1961, part of the About Anglia series, roving reporter Bob Wellings visits Dick Turpin’s birthplace and interviews Jack Handley, landlord of the Rose & Crown. Click on the image above to see the film on the website of the East Anglian Film Archive.

Flanagan & Allen on the farm in Hempstead (1943)

Florence Desmond (1905-1993) was an actress, comedian and impersonator who lived briefly in Pollards Cross, Hempstead during the war years with her aviator husrand Charles Hughesdon. In this comic video from the Airs and Graces series, she shows Pathe’s reporter around the farm and introduces an unusual pair of Land Girls!

In 1962 – eighty years after the tower of St Andrew’s collapsed – rebuilding was finally complete and a set of new bells installed. This Pathe video covers the service of dedication, performed by the Bishop of Colchester and attended by senior figures from the medical profession. Read more here

The Truth about Dick Turpin: In this light hearted short film, Simon Whistler sets the record straight.

BOOKS NOW AVAILABLE

Two new books about the history of Hempstead are now available. The main one, in which Ross Midgley tells some of the stories he has uncovered, is entitled Walking the Hamster to the Fountain: a thousand years of history in Hempstead, Essex. A separate booklet, entitled At the Going Down of the Sun, portrays the men commemorated on Hempstead's War Memorial: this builds significantly on previously known information and contains some remarkable stories. More details and ordering information are available from the books page here
PLEASE GET INVOLVED

If you have any corrections or contributions to make to the evolving content of this site - especially old photos or histories, please contact the editors at info@hempsteadhistory.uk.

Here are some projects that you could get involved in. If any of them capture your enthusiasm, or if you have another proposal, please email info@hempsteadhistory.uk, so that we can help to plan the scope and put you in touch with any potential collaborators.
HEMPSTEAD ON FILM

Some real treasures here: a 1961 Anglia TV interview with Jack Handley, landlord of the Rose & Crown; a 1943 visit by Flanagan & Allen to Pollards Cross, when it was the home of actress Florence Desmond; and a 1962 Pathe report on the dedication of the new tower and bells at St Andrew's. Visit our film archive here:
A WALK THROUGH THE CENTURIES

Rather than writing a traditional Church guide book, Hazel Weedon takes us on a short tour through some key moments in English history, using the architecture and contents of St Andrew's Church as illustration. Read more here :