Skip to main content

de Havilland Museum Partners With Anson Court in Welwyn Garden City

Anson Court care home in Welwyn Garden City is excited about their newly formed partnership with the de Havilland Aircraft museum. Anson Court was opened in 2017 and has an aircraft theme throughout in recognition of its proximity to the former Panshanger airfield and its historical wartime importance as a decoy factory for the real de Havilland aircraft factory in Hatfield. The home has large images of de Havilland aircraft throughout the building, as well as several pictures of the local Hatfield factory before it closed in 1993. With many of the residents coming from the Welwyn and Hatfield area, and several who either worked at the factory or were connected to someone who was, Home Manager Kelly Crellin decided it would be a great idea to get in contact with the museum to re-kindle some of those memories. As soon as the museum heard about Anson Court, they immediately suggested a meeting to see how they could work with the home, and from there a new partnership was born. Curator of the museum Alistair Hodgson said “Working with all sectors of our local communities is really important to us. We were delighted to hear about Anson Court and immediately saw a great opportunity to create a partnership with the home. We have already welcomed some of the residents to the museum and it was an absolute pleasure to be able to show them around.” As well as hosting visits to the museum, at nearby Salisbury Hall, London Colney, Mr Hodgson and Trustee and Marketing Director Mike Nevin have been to visit Anson Court, bringing books and old de Havilland employee magazines for residents to enjoy. They also presented the home with a picture from the de Havilland collection, which is now on proud display in the reception. Going forward, the museum is planning to interview some of the factory’s former employees as part of their oral history campaign. They are also going to provide the home with changing live exhibits from the factory for those who may not be able to visit the museum to enjoy. Huge thanks go the de Havilland museum for their support, and we look forward to a fantastic partnership.