Hertford is a place that is recommended to everyone who wishes to have a great day out relaxed and welcoming. During our visit today, we found this museum whilst on route to the very reasonably priced car park. Going inside, we were greeted by a lovely lady, who had injured her arm previously, to greet us with a warm smile and welcoming attitude.

My three children can be loud at times but this lady did not judge or look down at us. She looked at them as welcoming guests to the museum and a valued visitor. My son Christopher has a condition known as ADHD, which can make him hyper, loud, mood swings and sometimes hard to predict. The lady at the desk did not see this a problem and continued to entertain them with the options available.

The children had the chance to take a mystery bucket or a clipboard where they can look for clues or even both. This was free as the children chose the buckets with the animal teddy bears and discovery kit. We started our tour into the first room to discover animals and an interesting x-ray of a mummified animal (I believe it to be).

The information shown here was certainly fascinating as the children started to name the animals shown. My lovely children were learning as they continue upstairs into the garden. The garden has been well preserved and looked after as my children searched for bugs or anything that was a mystery. As we sat down to watch them, you would admire the view that this garden was offering, giving you a relaxing atmosphere and no pressure to leave.

Going back indoors, we had, unfortunately, came on the wrong day to attend the activity centre, which was closed. This did not stop the fun as we ventured back into the room to discover there was an upstairs to the museum. As you enter this room, you get greeted by the old fashion items that were once used and no longer now. There was an old fashion phone, which I fixed (screw was loose) for the children to use.

There was a book next to the phone that would show you the faces of the people who helped towards the great name Hertford. With a brief description, there was would be a number to dial. Using the old fashion phone, you simply dial the number shown and listen to this person speak to you about the past. My two boys had loved every moment of this as they explained to me about the stories they were told on this phone.

There were many items showing you the past on the wall near this, dating back many years. With items on show, you can imagine the times when Hertford was a different place and what life must have been like during these times. Continuing the tour, you would see more old items and areas of the days gone for Hertford.

For me personally, being a train fan, I found the stories of the gentlemen that worked on the trains to be fascinating. Again, using a phone and pushing the button, I listened to one gentleman explain about a time when they drank the odd beer but never got drunk. The reason being was the heat of the train and the workload would make you sweat the drink out. The sound of these men was of pride, excitement and happiness to do a job they loved, wow what a feeling.

To my amazement, the museum had a hidden joy just around the corner. I could hear my children laughing very loudly and have a great deal of fun. I was so pleased to see that the museum had set up an old fashion shop for the children to role play. Excellent!! My daughter was charging my sons £100 for some cheese...hehehe, which was such a joy to watch. They loved every moment of this as they believed they were getting the very best deals.

This part of the room also shows you the medals of the war hero's and the old items once made. There are many items on show and the feeling within the museum is warm and welcoming. There is also another area to view on the left-hand side of the entrance showing you some excellent information about the history. I will certainly make another visit to this location, which I must add is free. If you want a place where you can relax, read, learn and allow your children to be creative, then this is the place for you.

You can also buy many items from the small gift shop that offers you the view of the history of Hertford. I personally got the three DVD's showing the history and some items that my children will enjoy. I would like to thank the council and the staff for such a wonderful place to visit.

We have attended the stay and play sessions at the museum and they have always been good. Very educational and have managed to engage very young children. The toys are of a good quality and the artifacts interesting. It is always good to learn more about the local area and its history.

A great little museum that looks at the history of the local area.

This is a very interesting little Museum They put on a lot of interesting activities for Children during the holidays and at weekends too I believe With parking nearby it is an easily accessible and inexpensive way to pass a couple of hours learning through fun.

Very small but very interesting . Never new it existed until chaperoning on a school trip . The children found it very interesting and being quite small not too daunting for 8 yr olds . Enough to hold their interest and attention for an hour .

Good museum

Local history on your doorstep, use it or lose it!

The ground floor is of little interest.It seems to comprise of exhibits from when the museum opened early in the 20th century.It looks like a jumble sale.The first floor is rather more interesting containing a history of the town.It's ok,but nothing special.

The ground floor is a random mishmash of antiquities that we breezed past. But the first floor is mildly interesting in tracing the town's long history, from Anglo-Saxon times to the near present. Lots of artifacts and interesting placards. We spent an interesting half hour here.

A very lovely small museum tucked away in Hartford town. It has some interesting pieces, the staff are non-intrusive and relaxed. It was a lovely afternoon out having a look around the museum's interesting pieces.

This wasn't what I was expecting, but it was interesting all the same. Not a history of Hertford, but a collection of curiosities brought together by a previous generation of leaders in the town. Hard to describe the contents, just bits and pieces of random things. And a garden out the back that was a bit of a haven on a hot day.

Went here for a recki for a school trip and ended up visiting this delightful little museum regularly with friends and family

Lots of interesting things to see. Kids were given clipboard and pencils. They really enjoyed discovering old Hertford.

Despite being an adult I enjoyed the children's trails which someone has put lots of effort in to, and I could see a young man was enjoying the little shop layout so that was fun. The museum feels quite new with it's lovely easy to follow layout, I especially liked the miniature brush set. We were lucky enough to cone when the exhibition on Hertford women was on and that was very interesting. The garden was an unexpectedly nice addition.

Visit from time to time to see the temporary exhibitions. The staff are excellent and if you want to know about an aspect of Hertford history, they will help find an answer. The walks and talks around town are well worth going on.

We love Hertford Museum. I have a 3 and 5 year old and they have loved it since birth. The upstairs space is interesting with items they can touch and feel. In the school holidays they normally run some craft events which cost £1.50 per child. We visit the museum once a fortnight. The staff are always friendly and the toilets/changing facilities are always clean.

This isn't a large museum, but entry is free and it has a lot of information on the local area. The displays are well-arranged, with good clear signs. The small garden is beautiful. There is the usual museum shop.

This small free museum is fascinating, accessible, interesting and surprising. Don't miss the Jacobean Knot Garden out back with beautiful puddingstone decoration around the doors. Favourite displays are the model of Hertford Castle, the bit about pubs and the scary old dolls. Highly recommended, good gift shop for local history books too.

As Museums go, this one would be classed as small, Small it maybe, but interesting..The Museum contributes heavily to local school children informing them about the History of Hertford and many other historical topics, l work close to the Museum and often look at the window displays when passing, l have been inside the Museum many times too, l remember taking my children here when they were younger, so l am pleased to see that the Museum is still educating children.They have numerous display cabinets upstairs and downstairs, they always seem to have a model figure of some kind...A Soldier....A Knight...A Farmer, Guy Fawkes...it could be anything....Well done to the staff who arrange and spend numerous hours making sure everything is placed correctly.. I believe in the Summer period you can have tea and biscuits in the rear courtyard... again quite nice to do.[ not sure if this still happens ] This is good for a quick family visit.... "probably more to see than you think"

Used the museum to research a local area project I was doing. Lots of interesting items and local history.
Great way to spend a couple of hours on a rainy day!

great garden especially in summer, good exhibits and a great selcetion of book to purchase both local and countrywide

We were surprised by Herford's history on view which wonderfully supplimented our stroll around this amazingly interesting town.

I recently visited the Museum and found it very interesting. There is a large amount of varied exhibits and everything is clearly described. I particularly liked the First World War exhibition. The staff gave me a warm welcome and were very helpful.

A quaint place, tucked away. A great place to take family for a day out with interesting little treasures. My little one loved the garden, as did I!

Fabulous local treasure. A wide range of objects, some very quirky, mostly with local provenance. The Garden is particularly lovely. There is always a friendly welcome at the museum which is well worth a visit.