Objects on Demand Exhibition St Albans Museum & Gallery

The Angel Inn c.1800 ( framed ) in the Landing Gallery

St Albans Museum has been collecting objects and specimens since the 1890s and now hold  65,000 objects relating to Daily Life, Working Life, Childhood, Costume, Natural History, Fine Art and Archaeology.

Objects on Demand enables you to choose the objects, from any of these categories, that you would like to see on display.

Curator Laura Lennard asked me to choose something from the fine art collection and I was immediately attracted by the collection of eight watercolours by H.R.Wilton-Hall that depicts historic inns and were gifted to Reverend Canon Glossop in 1923

I chose perhaps the most important coaching inn in St Albans around 1800; the Angel Inn now the Manor Garden House at 135 Fishpool Street. The watercolours are on display in the Landing Gallery at the Museum and here are my thoughts on the Angel Inn

" This watercolour was copied by H.R.Wilton- Hall from an original sketch by H.G.Oldfield ( c.1800 ) and initialled H.R.W.H. in 1907. It depicts the Fishpool Street facing facade of the inn, which was aimed at the well- heeled traveller. The frontage is late 1600s with a Georgian rear elevation, which is stunning. The Angel had the only commercial Assembly Room in St Albans around 1800. It was an inn from c.1745 and closed in 1826 when Telford's Verulam Road by-passed Fishpool Street ".

The St Albans Museum has the watercolour attributed to a drawing by Pridmore. However, SAHAAS historian Jon Mein pointed out that this was incorrect. The original drawing is one of an extensive set of drawings and watercolours which were produced by H.G.Oldfield. He covered buildings across the county and appears to have been working in St Albans c.1800. The collection is at HALS ( Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies ) in Hertford.

Curator Laura Lennard commented that this revelation was significant and she hoped that many more historical facts will be revealed by the St Albans Community as people select objects for display.

St Albans Museum & Gallery located in St Peter's Street is open Monday- Sunday : 10am- 4pm. and entry is free.

Stuart Macer

June 2026