Dacorum Heritage Trust
Dacorum Heritage Trust is an accredited museum and archive for the Borough of Dacorum, Hertfordshire. It cares for over 131,000 items – from prehistoric hand axes and Roman paw prints preserved in roof tiles, to 20th century artwork. People can see these historic items through pop-up exhibitions and interactive handling sessions.
When Garfield Weston established the Foundation in 1958, he endowed it with shares in the family business, Wittington Investments Limited. Today, Wittington’s largest investment is in Associated British Foods (ABF), which makes some of the best-known food brands in the UK, including Ovaltine. In 2022, ABF transferred the ownership of the Ovaltine Collection – over 10,000 items relating to the history of the production of Ovaltine at its former factory in nearby Kings Langley – to Dacorum Heritage Trust, making it one of the largest archives owned by the Trust.
As we work more on the Ovaltine Collection, we realise how important an employer and supportive of the community the Ovaltine factory was to the area. The continued support of the Garfield Weston Foundation means that we can continue to care for and share the wonderful artwork of the Ovaltine brand.
Dacorum Heritage Trust had plans to conserve fragile artwork, digitise damaged advertising film, record the memories of former Ovaltine employees and to develop a public engagement programme. The charity presented a very clear proposal with detailed timescales, budgets and anticipated outcomes and the Trustees were delighted to help conserve this part of Hertfordshire’s – and ABF’s – heritage.