Photo: Geni · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Lowewood Museum

Free local-history museum for the Borough of Broxbourne in a Georgian house in Hoddesdon, with photographs, costume, archaeology and a garden.

Opening hoursFree admission Partially accessible Café

Website Directions

About the museum

Lowewood Museum occupies a house in Hoddesdon High Street. A house called Harveys stood on the site from the 1570s, and most of the present building dates from the 1750s, when it was created by the local pharmacist Hugh Hughes. John Warner, a Quaker and brass founder, bought it in 1835 and it stayed in the Warner family for more than a century.

In 1935 the property was bought by Douglas Day Taylor, who gave it to Hoddesdon town council a year later in memory of his wife so that it could serve as a library and museum. The gardens opened to the public in 1943. The library moved to a new building in 1977, and Lowewood reopened as the museum of the Borough of Broxbourne in 1982. The house is Grade II listed.

The museum faced closure in 2020, and a campaign by the Friends of Lowewood led to the creation of an independent charity, Lowewood Museum Trust, in 2021. The museum reopened in July 2021 and gained full Accreditation from Arts Council England in 2024. Its collection of more than 40,000 items includes over 20,000 photographs of local people and places from the past 150 years, oral histories, local archaeology, costume, household objects and Pulham stonework.

Highlights

Collection of over 20,000 photographs of the borough from the past 150 years
Costume, household objects and local archaeology
Oral histories about life in Broxbourne
Pulham stonework
Georgian house with a public garden

Founded: 1982
Operated by: Lowewood Museum Trust CIO

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission to the museum is free and donations are welcome; some special event days ask for a suggested donation.

Accessibility

Partially wheelchair accessible
Elevator: not available
Accessible restroom
Accessible parking
Service dogs welcome
Tactile models & exhibits: no information
Sign language tours: no information
Easy-to-read materials: no information
Audio description: no information

The galleries are on two floors and the upper floor can only be reached by stairs. The ground floor, with an exhibition gallery, shop, café, community room and garden, is step-free via the entrance at the back of the museum. The accessible toilet has hand rails and a panic alarm. Assistance animals, including dogs in training, are welcome; other dogs may visit the ground floor only. Ear defenders are available at reception on event days, and a quiet hour can be booked at school-holiday events.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

Family tours & workshops
Stroller-friendly
Baby changing facilities

The museum runs family event days and school-holiday activities. A folding baby changing table is in the accessible toilet. Prams and buggies are welcome on the ground floor, with limited space to store folding ones inside or to leave them in the garden.

Getting there & parking

By public transit

Bus stop outside the museum

Local buses stop directly outside the museum in both directions. The nearest railway stations are Broxbourne and Rye House, with services from London Liverpool Street and Hertford East.

By car

Free parking

Free parking is available in the Spotlight car park (postcode EN11 8BE), which has disabled bays. A public Blue Badge bay is outside the museum, and pay-and-display parking is available in Hoddesdon town centre.

Accessible parking

By car, take the A10 and follow the signs for Hoddesdon. The museum can also be reached on foot or by bicycle from the town centre, the New River Path and Lee Valley Regional Park.

Get directions

Amenities & dining

Café
Museum shop
Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi is available to visitors; ask a member of staff for details. Snacks and drinks are sold in the café, and picnics are welcome in the garden. On family event days the café space may be used for activities, so hot drinks may not be served.