On Monday 24 June 2024, four blue Heritage Plaques were unveiled in Hoddesdon by the Mayor of Broxbourne, Councillor Sherrie McDaid.
The unveiling of these plaques part of the Love Hoddesdon Midsummer Festival which ran from 15 - 24 June.
The plaques celebrate the rich history of Hoddesdon, which was identified in the Council’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Strategy as an asset that should be promoted and celebrated.
The first plaque to be unveiled was at Lowewood House which was built around 1750 and is currently the home of the Borough’s Museum. Since 2021 it has been managed by the Lowewood Museum Trust and is open on Fridays and Saturdays.
At the top of Conduit Lane, a plaque was installed to mark the original location of the Samaritan Woman statue, built in around 1631 by Marmaduke Rawdon. The statue’s purpose was to deliver water via a conduit from his home, Rawdon House to provide Hoddesdon with its first public water supply.
The third plaque was installed on the new B3Living property at Woodside Court, Brewery Lane. and marks the site of the Hoddesdon brewery. Later taken over by the Christie family, it became the largest in Hertfordshire and a major employer Hoddesdon.
The final plaque was installed at Mayhem Theatre and Creative Arts’ premises on Brewery Road. This was the site of the workshop where Ronald Hickman, owner of Mate Tools, created the first Workmate.
Representatives from B3Living, Mayhem Theatre and Creative Arts, Love Hoddesdon, Lowewood Museum and the Friends of Lowewood Museum were all present at the unveilings.