The History and Development of Lowewood Museum

Development work at Lowewood

Over the last couple of years at Lowewood Museum there have been extensive restoration and improvement works; which have included the restoring of the original Georgian fireplaces, a new reception area on the ground floor, new exhibition areas and the installation of new specialised display equipment.

A number of the exhibitions will now be accessible to disabled/wheelchair bound customers as they will be situated in the new exhibition area on the ground floor. 

History of the building

Most of the building dates back to the 1750s however, the original building dates back to around the 1570s.  It is possible that parts of the original building may have been incorporated into the new house, because the rear of Lowewood is different in style, the height of the ceilings being much lower.

The site where 'Lowewood' now stands was known as 'Harveys' in about 1570. A century later it belonged to Jasper Garnett, who built a house there. In 1750 part of this house was demolished. The rear part was left standing and a new house was built joining on to it. From 1835 'Lowewood' was owned by the Warner family. John Warner's eldest son, John, lived there. His wife and children continued to live at 'Lowewood' after his death in 1845. In 1869, John Warner Senior's three unmarried daughters, Mary, Harriet and Celia moved into the house. When Mary died in 1921, her niece Elizabeth Ann Warner bought Lowewood and lived there until her death in 1936. She was the last member of the Warner family to live at Lowewood.

The house was bought by Mr Douglas Day Taylor and given to the town in November 1936, in memory of his wife, to be used as a library and museum. The library was opened in 1937, and remained at Lowewood until 1977, when it was transferred to a new building in the High Street. In 1947 Charles Whitley's collection of fossils and curiosities was transferred to Lowewood from the Clock Tower buildings. This collection, together with a number of records previously held by Hoddesdon Urban District Council formed the basis of the museum started at Lowewood by E.W. Paddick, the Librarian. It was known then as the Records Collection. The name seems to have been given to this building at some time early in the 20th century. Prior to that, the house does not seem to have had a specific name.

Lowewood Museum today is a grade 2 listed building owned by Broxbourne Borough Council. It contains a fascinating collection of memorabilia depicting town life in the 19th century, which have been donated by the local community.