Hitchin High Street as you've never seen it before!

As lockdown restrictions ease further its been great to see people flocking back to Hitchin town centre including our high street.

But have you seen this vintage shot of the Hitchin High Street from the late 19th century before?

In the latest in our Hitchin Nub News series showcasing wonderfully evocative vintage black and white photographs here's a shot of the high street looking down towards Bancroft.

The main building with the chimney that reads Moss Tea is now the modern-day site that plays host to the Vodafone shop - but back then the store was built in 1899 for prominent Hitchin firm WB Moss, provision merchants and grocers, on site of the former Trooper Inn pub.

The store was also the site of the 1914 Hitchin Riots, which you can read more about in our special Hitchin Nub News REWIND feature here

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The image comes from Hitchin's brilliant North Herts Museum on Brand Street which is hosting Frozen In Time – Early Photographs of North Herts, which will run until 27 June.

The must-see exhibition will feature a series of 48 photographs of North Herts in Victorian and Edwardian times from the museum's collections.

The fascinating images of towns and villages in the district offer a snapshot into the daily lives of people who lived and worked there during those eras.