Libraries and leisure

The Gordon Moodey Collection

The late Gordon Moodey, MBE, FSA of Hertford was Honorary Secretary of the East Hertfordshire Archaeological Society for 27 years and a well-known authority on old buildings in the county.

His collection of drawings, notes and other papers relating to Herfordshire buildings were presented to the Record Office after he died in 1978 and are catalogued under reference D/EGm

Some of the papers no doubt relate to work carried out for the East Herts Archaeological Society, the County Council's Planning Department, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments and the Herts Building Preservation Trust, but it would be almost impossible to distinguish them from each other and from his personal work.



Gordon Ernest Moodey, the eldest of three sons of an architect was born in Kent in 1901. After art school, he worked in London designing furniture and later in the advertising department of yardley cosmetics. By the early 1930s he was living in St Albans and in the late 30s moved to West Street, Hertford where he lived for the rest of his life.

He became a member of the East Herts Archaeological Society at the beginning of the second world war and became Honorary Secretary in 1947 and never missed a meeting in the next 26 years. He opposed the demolition of buildings that he saw worthy of retention and his advice and assistance were sought by a number of bodies.

Excellent at drawing, many of his early sketchbooks from the 1920s and 30s survive and include a wide range of subjects such as plants, animals and birds. Most of his time in later years was spent measuring and drawing buildings and their noteable features and his work was highly regarded. Writing was also an integral part of his work and he received extensive correspondence but he always had time to acknowledge them.

He held strong views and wrote of a visit to Bishops Stortford in 1951
"The neglected, nettlegrown extension of the churchyard, south of St Michael's Church, is being turned into a garden, by rooting out the headstones and setting them upright in a concrete wall. The effect unpleasantly resembles an ill-fitting set of dentures."

But there were good things to see on a visit to Fabdens in Thundridge
"Astonishing....furnished with charm and taste".

His involvement in conservation matters was a major preoccupation and he was critical of authorities who failed to appreciate the merits of buildings. He worked closely with the conservation unit of the county council and was involved in saving and restoration some Hertford's oldest buildings.

As a person he was quiet and unassuming with a sense of humour. He was awarded the MBE in 1977, which gave him much pleasure. He died at home on 24th February 1978 and is buried in All Saints churchyard.

Taken from "A Century of Archaeology in East Herts, 1898 - 1998" by C. Lee, edited by D.Perman.