See Hemel Hempstead Gazette for the history of the newspaper

The Gazette is a weekly newspaper, based on Dacorum - covering Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring and some smaller villages, etc. It has an active online web site which includes news and current activities - and is particularly strong on local history.

It has an active question and answer page and a series of special historical features, with thumbnail pictures. The current featured (June 2001) topics are:

Maylands Avenue: The first 50 years of new town industry

The story of the Watercress Industry in Dacorum

The story of the straw plait industry in Dacorum

The story of the Ovaltine farms and factory

Coopers, the agricultural chemicals industry in Berkhamsted

John Dickinson and the story of papermaking [14 pages]

Roses Lime Juice, a canal industry

The Gazette, the history of our local newspaper from 1859

Roman Dacorum and villa finds

Hemel Hempstead Market through the years.

Hemel Hempstead Town Hall, old and new.

Hemel Hempstead School’s first days

Heath Park Hotel, the early days

Hemel Hempstead’s Magic Roundabout

Tring Market House, from old to new

Bovingdon Airfield, war and peace

Story of highwayman James Snook [Highwayman]

The Rex Cinema, Berkhamsted

A supermum from Abbots Langley

Days of witchcraft fears

A ghostly tale from Abbots Langley

The M1 motorway was 40 years old in 1999. This is the story

The Tring typhoid epidemic of 1899 [This is also the subject of an online educational package - see HALS]

Queen Victoria and the Dacorum area

BOURNE GUTTER - Dacorum's woewater

The history of Hemel Hempstead's Hospital

Dacorum at War, in 12 parts [Second World War]

The story of Berkhamsted's Mantle factory

The early story of Hemel Hempstead Labour Party

The Queen visits Hemel Hempstead in 1952

Alderman Jarman, father of education in Hemel

If you have an interest in any of the towns and villages in Dacorum area your should keep an eye on new postings to this page.

March 2004

A new section has been added to provide information about the meanings of street names. It is run by Roy and Margaret Wood, who welcome additional information - especially about roads that hey have not yet tracked down.

January 2008

The site is very active with regular new features of historical interest - and pages where people can ask questions - including contacting former school friends, etc. It is not clear how long historical articles are kept online but searches for the articles listed above using the web site's own search routine proves negative.

I cannot keep track of all websites like this, so if you  find new pages on the site which could be of wider interest, please tell me

Page updated January 2008