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What did you want to with the Museum?
Which parts of Letchworth's past interested you the most?
Your top 3 topics were the unique story of Letchworth , interesting buildings and your local areaand the activities you were most interested in were learning more about and seeing objects from Letchworth’s past , as well as doing a history walk around Letchworth.
We’re pleased to have used your feedback to create a new exhibition called "Letchworth Lives and Landscapes" which you can see at Broadway Gallery until 6th January 2024. The exhibition features artwork from the Garden City Collection.
On Wednesday 22nd November, Josh from the Museum team will be doing an illustrated talk at the "Letchworth Lives and Landscapes" exhibition called “Letchworth 101” where he will give you a brief history of the town covering lots of different themes and showing photographs from the Garden City Collection. You can find out more and book your ticket on the Broadway Gallery website.
There are other ways to find out more about Letchworth's history:
In August, we did an illustrated talk about the 1905 Cheap Cottages exhibition. If you’re interested in exploring some of Letchworth’s interesting and innovative buildings , you can pop in to One Garden City and pick up a walking trail leaflet from reception which tells you more about these fascinating buildings. There will be opportunities to join a walking tour in 2024– keep an eye out for announcements!
For those of you who were interested in your local area , the Outdoor Museum has been popping up around Letchworth – including in Willian, on Jackmans and Norton Common – with displays about the surrounding area. Watch out for the Outdoor Museum when it is out and about in 2024!
Did you feel your community is represented in our museum and the stories we tell?
68% of you said you felt the museum represented your community, 9% said no and 23% weren’t sure. We have been working with community partners this year to make sure the Museum tells stories that represent our diverse community.
We’ve been fortunate to work alongside Amandeep Dhillon to gather local stories and celebrate South Asian History Month with displays at the Museum.
We were also awarded funding to work with Kava Johnson and Letchworth Caribbean Harmony Group on a project leading to an exhibition, video and website. Come and visit the resulting exhibition “Forging a family” at the Museum at One Garden City from Monday 20th November.
What did you most enjoy about your visit?
You told us you liked the way the information was presented , that it was easy to visitand that you discovered something new.
We have lots of exciting plans for 2024 - you can keep up to date with Museum news by popping in to see what’s new or by following us on social media.
Garden City Collection – Follow us on social media
- Find us on Facebook
- Find us on Instagram
- Find us on X (Twitter)
Museum at One Garden City - Follow us on social media
- Find us on Facebook
- Find us on X (Twitter)
A reminder of some of the Museum activities and exhibitions you can get involved with. You can:
Any paying events go directly towards funding your local museum service - thanks for supporting us and enabling us to do more!
See you soon!
Josh
What did you want to see and do with Broadway Gallery?
What you wanted to see
Your top exhibitions were arts and crafts/photography, design , local and national contemporary art followed by local art groups and amateur artists.
We installed Rod Shone’s photography exhibition “Miss Italy” at Broadway Cinema in June and are looking at how we can programme more photography in the future.
The Museum at One Garden City hosted “Tom Karen Creations” showcasing the life and work of Tom Karen, one of Britain’s most influential designers who worked at Letchworth’s Ogle Design. If you missed it, you can view it in 3D on Discover Letchworth.
Local art groups, amateur artists and contemporary artists exhibited as part of the Letchworth Open this year with a wide variety of themes and disciplines on show - and over 400 artists taking part!
In 2024, we will be exhibiting work from 3 local contemporary artists – Helena McGrath, Luke Perkins and Anna Fairchild - who received bursaries after taking part in the Letchworth Open. We will be launching a new scheme to support local clubs and societies in the Garden City Arts Club space in the Gallery in 2024.
What you wanted to do
You wanted to take part in workshops , see art and design and learn new skills.
This year, we’ve hosted monthly life drawing workshops and have a workshop coming up on 18th November called “Capturing the Common” linked to our latest exhibition Letchworth Lives and Landscapes.
We’ve also had a wide variety of exhibitions at the Gallery for you to come and see - from the world-renowned Georgia O’Keefe’s “Memories of Drawings” to the more local Letchworth Open.
In 2024, we plan to have a series of workshops and events linked to each exhibition. You can follow us on social media or join our mailing list to keep up to date.
Which specific arts and crafts activities did you want to do?
You were particularly interested in painting, textiles, making prints and drawing/ceramics. If painting is your thing, why not join in with the “Capturing the Common” workshop on the 18th November? Life drawing continues every month and we’re looking at hosting some ceramics workshops in mid-2024.
What would encourage you to take part in activities?
You said you most wanted to discover something new, meet new people and do something relaxing.
We hope that you’ve discovered something new at the Gallery this year – maybe the Gallery was new to you, or you discovered a new artist, or a new technique?
For those who wanted to meet new people, you could pop along to the new Letchworth Lates which take place one Saturday a month after hours. There is one coming up on Saturday 18th November if you fancy trying it out. You can book your tickets to Drink and Draw on Eventbrite.
If you’re in need of relaxation, come and explore the latest exhibition and have a tea or coffee and a seat in our comfy seats after your visit.
What would make it easy for you to take part?
You said the timing of the activities was important, as well as a friendly welcome and free activities.
Saturday daytime was the most popular time for you to visit so we now launch our exhibitions on Saturday afternoons and have introduced "Letchworth Lates" for those of you that prefer an evening visit.
Gallery exhibitions continue to be free to visit for everyone. We always appreciate donations if people are able to support our work as this enables us to do even more!
We were really pleased to hear that you found the staff friendly , that it was easy to visit and made you want to be more creative. We hope all ages have been inspired by something they have seen or done at the gallery – from Family Arts to the A level Art exhibition to the Letchworth Open.
A reminder of all the things you can do at Broadway Gallery – you can:
There are lots of ways to keep up to date with what’s on at Broadway Gallery:
See you soon!
Paul, Broadway Gallery
What did you want to do as a family?
Thank you for sharing your feedback about what you would like to do as a family.
You told us your top 3 activities would be family arts club sessions at the gallery, art trails around town and exhibition activities for children.
We’re pleased to continue to offer family art club sessions once a month at Broadway Gallery. We have also provided some fun activities for families as part of the new Letchworth Lives and Landscapes exhibition at Broadway Gallery. Lots of Letchworth schools will be coming to see the exhibition so maybe your child will visit with their school!
No plans just yet for art trails but we have been doing some thinking and looking at innovative art trails elsewhere - and you can have a go at spotting things in our current exhibition…
In the summer, you may have popped in to the Museum at One Garden City to create your own suffragette rosette and find out more about inspiring women from Letchworth!
We want to continue to provide activities for all ages to engage with our exhibitions.
When should family activities take place?
You were most keen on weekend and holiday activities. Our popular Family Arts sessions will continue on Saturdays, and over the summer holidays the team introduced “Kids Club Crafts” which followed on from Kids Club screenings at Broadway Cinema and proved a hit with families.
Keep an eye out for activities over holiday periods – we are particularly committed to providing fun, creative sessions during the summer holidays. We may also come to a community venue near you!
What makes it easy for you to take part?
The top 3 things that make it easy for you to take part were a welcoming atmosphere, free activities and doing activities closer to home.
We continue to welcome families to our dedicated family spaces within the Gallery and invite families to pop in whenever we’re open. We have dedicated volunteers (thanks, volunteers!) who help out with our family activities and there’s always someone at the Gallery to say hello!
Most of our activities continue to be free of charge– we encourage people who are able to, to pay what they can, this helps us to do more both within the Gallery and in community settings.
For those of you who prefer activities closer to home, we have held several sessions in community locations and will continue to do so. Keep an eye out in 2024 for a session coming to a community venue or open space near you!
What might encourage you to take part?
We heard from you that doing something together as a family is important. For Family Arts sessions we ask parents and carers to stay for the activities and we love it when the whole family gets involved. Our sessions are recommended for 3-10-year-olds but we’re always happy for siblings to come along so you can all enjoy some time together.
You told us you like discovering or trying something new – this year we’ve had a different artist every month to give families a range of techniques and activities to try.
What you liked about your visit
Our friendly staff and free art and craft materials scored equally highly! We will continue to provide art and craft materials at the gallery to keep you and your family occupied on your visit to the Gallery.
You found us to be welcoming and family friendly– thank you!
A reminder of all the things you can do with your family – you can:
If you live in Letchworth, your child may also be visiting the Gallery or taking part in activities with their school!
There are lots of ways to keep up to date with what’s happening for families, you can:
See you soon!
Mollie, Cultural Learning Officer
Thank you for taking part
Thank you for sharing your feedback on what you’d like to see and do in Letchworth through Project Letchworth. We have spent some time looking at what you’ve told us through the website and having conversations with visitors to our venues and out in the community about what you’d like to see and do - and we have been using all your input to shape what we do in the future. Thanks for being part of it, we look forward to continuing the conversation.
We will be sharing what we’ve found out through Project Letchworth over the coming days on the websiteand you can continue to stay up to date with what’s happening at the Gallery, Museum or out in the community in the following ways:
Broadway Gallery– Follow us on social media
Or sign up to our mailing list on the Broadway Gallerywebsite.
Garden City Collection– Follow us on social media
Museum at One Garden City- Follow us on social media
Family activities are shared through the Gallery and Museum channels, so if you’re looking to do things together as a family, discover something new or visit somewhere different, follow us to find out what’s coming up!
If you prefer to chat, you can pop into the Gallery and catch up with a member of the team. They are always happy to hear your suggestions and feedback, or just to have a chat! The Gallery is open Wednesday – Saturday.
What else have we been up to?
With your support and what you’ve told us, we've attracted funding for work including:
By working together, we hope everyone can get involved and enjoy what’s on offer in Letchworth.
How can you get involved and support us?
There are lots of ways you can get involved and support the team to continue to provide great opportunities in Letchworth.
Stay tuned to hear about what we found out from you in more detail over the coming days.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Paul (Broadway Gallery), Mollie (Cultural Learning Officer) and Josh (Museum at One Garden City and Garden City Collection)
Come to the gallery and explore the unique story of Letchworth!
Thank you again to everyone for sharing your feedback about what you wanted to see or do in Letchworth on Project Letchworth. The team at the Heritage Foundation have been reviewing the feedback you shared with us and have created a new exhibition based on your feedback.
When it came to Letchworth’s past, the topic people were most interested in was “The unique story of Letchworth” and most people preferred activities to take place at the Museum or Gallery.
Josh from the Museum team and Paul from Broadway Gallery have been working together to bring you an exhibition called “Letchworth: Lives and Landscapes” which explores the people and places of early Letchworth through art from the Garden City Collection. Mollie, Cultural Learning Officer, has been working with them to develop materials for schools and fun activities for families to explore the exhibition together.
(Left to right: Paul from Broadway Gallery, Mollie – Cultural Learning Officer and Josh, Heritage Manager)
The exhibition will take place at Broadway Gallery in Letchworth’s town centre (find us above The Arcade!) from Saturday 28th October 2023 until Saturday 6th January 2024. It is free to visit so please pop down and meet the friendly team.
The Gallery is open Wednesday-Saturday 10am-5pm and you can finish your visit with a pay what you can tea or coffee, a visit to the free Family Arts Studio or maybe grab something from the Gallery shop!
We hope to see you soon!
(If the images do not display, please click to view this update on Project Letchworth)
Something for everyone at the Broadway Gallery
Thank you for telling us about what you’d like to see and do at Broadway Gallery through our Quick Feedback form.
There was a good spread of the types of exhibitions you’d like to see, your top 3 were:
You can find an amazing variety of themes and disciplines including painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking and digital art at our current exhibition The Letchworth Open which showcases the work of over 400 artists from the region.
We asked you when you’d like to visit or take part in activities. Many of you were interested in evening activities – we will be opening the gallery later on the first Saturday of each month, beginning on Saturday 2nd September. You can find out more about Letchworth Lates on the Broadway Gallery website.
For those of you who were interested in photography, next time you’re at the Broadway Cinema don’t forget to pop in to see local photographer Rod Shone’s exhibition Miss Italy in the Broadway Cinema bar.
We hope to see you soon!
Your top Letchworth history topics and how to find out about them
Thank you for telling us what interests you about Letchworth’s past. Your top 3 topics were:
There is plenty to get involved with coming up where you can explore more about Letchworth’s past. You could:
1. Book on to a Letchworth Garden City walking tour with Josh (Heritage Manager) to learn more about the unique story of Letchworth and see some of Letchworth’s interesting buildings along the route.
2. Pop in to reception at the Museum at One Garden City and pick up a walking trail map to learn more about Letchworth’s Cheap Cottages. While you’re out and about you could take a look at Eastcheap Studios’ Cheap Cottages installation in Garden Square Shopping Centre.
3. Book on to an illustrated talk from Josh (Heritage Manager) to hear more about the 1905 Cheap Cottages Exhibition - a unique chapter in Letchworth's history with some fascinating innovations in architecture.
4. Come along to see the Outdoor Museum over the summer to find out more about your local area. Follow the Museum team on Facebook or Instagram to find out where they will be and when.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Get out and about with your family this summer
When we asked you when you would like to do activities with your families, most of you said you preferred weekend and holiday activities. We wanted to share some free and low-cost family activities with you to keep the whole family entertained over the summer holidays.
You were keen to do activities at the Museum or Gallery but also outdoors – on Wednesday 16th August, Family Arts will be out and about with the Outdoor Museum on Norton Common – pop down, say hello to our friendly team and get involved.
Many of you had not taken part in family activities at the Museum at One Garden City – if you’d like to get creative at the Museum, you can drop in on Saturday 26th August and create a suffragette rosette.
The Family Arts Studio at Broadway Gallery will be open Wednesday to Saturday throughout the holidays – if you’re in town, why not visit and make use of the free art materials? There will be Kids Club Crafts every Thursday throughout the holidays from 12-2pm and free creative play sessions on Friday 11th and Friday 18th August. You can find out all the details – and some other ideas for keeping busy over the summer on our summer activities in Letchworth page.
Please come and say “hi”! We look forward to seeing you over the summer.
Getting creative as a family
Thank you for taking part and telling us which activities you wanted to do with your families.
Your top 3 activities were:
Most of you preferred weekend and holiday activities. If you would like to get creative at Family Art Club, there is a session running this Saturday 8th July. You can book tickets hereor follow us on the Family Arts Eventbriteto find out about and book future sessions.
Over the summer, there will be exhibition-related activities available for children in the Museum at ONE Garden City, along with the toddler and baby activities to keep the little ones entertained.
Families visiting Broadway Gallerycan:
You can also book the Family Art Studio for parties, just email: familyarts@letchworth.com
We are looking at the rest of your feedback and incorporating it into our planning for families and we'll tell you more about that as it develops. We will also share some summer holiday inspiration with you soon.
You can keep up to date with everything that’s happening for families at the Gallery and Museum by following Family Arts at Broadway Gallery Instagram or stay up to date via Broadway Gallery website.
We look forward to seeing you soon.
See art, make art, show art!
Thank you for telling us which activities you were most interested in at the Gallery. The top 3 activities were:
If you’re interested in joining a workshop, Broadway Gallery hosts life drawing on the first Saturday of each month from 2:30-4:30pm. You can find out more and book a place here.
If you’d like to showcase your art, you could apply to the Letchworth Open, an annual exhibition which brings together artworks from the local creative community. You can find out more about how to apply to the Open here. You can also showcase your work online at Discover Letchworth, just apply to be a contributor.
If seeing art is more your thing, Broadway Gallery is hosting a touring exhibition of prints of Georgia O’Keefe’s drawings. You can find out more here.
We are looking at the rest of your feedback and incorporating it in to our planning and we'll tell you more about that as it develops. You can keep up to date with everything that’s happening at Broadway Gallery by following the Gallery on social media –
Walk and explore Letchworth
Thank you for telling us about which aspects of Letchworth’s past you were interested in. The top 3 activities you were interested in were:
We’re happy to tell you that this Thursday evening (22nd June), Josh Tidy (local historian) will be taking a walking tour around Letchworth where you can learn more about Letchworth’s history. You can book tickets on Eventbrite here.
If you can’t make it along on Thursday, you can come in to the Museum and pick up a free walking trail map from reception so you can take a walk and learn about Letchworth’s history at any time that suits you.
The walking trail maps cover lots of different aspects of Letchworth’s history.
We will be announcing more walking tours in the future. You can find out about them by following the Museum and Collection on social media:
Museum at One Garden City on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MuseumOneGC/
Garden City Collection on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gardencitycollection
Garden City Collection on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garden_city_collection/
Your feedback about exploring Letchworth's past
Thank you again for taking part and sharing your feedback on Project Letchworth. We are in the process of looking at all your feedback to help with planning future activities.
The topic which interested you most about Letchworth's past was "The unique story of Letchworth". Here's a video explaining how Letchworth came to be. We hope you enjoy it!
Remember you can keep up-to-date with what's happening at the Museum at One Garden City and Garden City Collection on the following social media channels:
Museum at One Garden City on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MuseumOneGC/
Garden City Collection on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gardencitycollection
Garden City Collection on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garden_city_collection/
Thank you again for taking part. We'll come back to you with more insights soon!
Thank you for taking part!
Thank you for giving your feedback about what you would like to see or do with the Museum and Gallery team in Letchworth. Thanks to everyone who contributed online, filled in a paper survey or joined us at a community event. We have really enjoyed meeting those of you who came along and we look forward to seeing those of you that couldn't make it in the future.
We are now looking at all your feedback and we will be in touch to share what we have found out.
If you'd like to keep up to date with what's happening at the Museum and Gallery, and family activities - you can follow us on these channels:
Gallery team
Family Arts Instagram
Thank you!
Last chance to share your feedback
A huge thank you to all of you have shared your views on what you’d like to see or do with the Museum and Gallery team in the future. We have really enjoyed chatting with you at our events at the Museum and Gallery - thank you for coming along.
Today – Tuesday 28th February - is the last chance to have your say. If you haven’t already, please let us know what you’d like to see or do. If you’ve only got 2 minutes, you can complete the quick feedback form here.
Thank you – we look forward to updating you on what we’ve found out!
Come and see us at Broadway Gallery tomorrow
We hope to see you tomorrow, Saturday 25th February, at Broadway Gallery from 3-5pm to have a chat, have some food and look around the Gallery and Family Arts Studio. Everyone is welcome!
Come along and
You can find us in The Arcade, Letchworth. If you can't make it, you can still have your say with our quick feedback form here.
We hope to see you tomorrow!
Come and say hello!
Come and join us for free family activities, some food and a chat at the Museum at One Garden City on Tuesday 14th February from 10am-2pm. Everyone is welcome!
Come along and -
The map below shows the Museum location, across from Broadway Cinema. The Museum is on the ground floor and is fully accessible. If you'd like to come along but have any special requirements, please email response@letchworth.com
Meet Mollie!
Hi I’m Mollie, I’m part of the Arts, Culture and Heritage team at the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation. You may have seen me in Family Arts at the Broadway Gallery before or I often work in schools with artists. I also help to organise other art and heritage activities for children in Letchworth. You can usually find me in the gallery or over at the Micro Museum and I’m always happy to say hello!
I’d love to hear what you and your family enjoy and what activities you’d like to do – you can tell us here.