A new digitised version of the 1961 Census has revealed what life was like in Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield and Potters Bar 50 years ago.

The digitisation of the data is being made available for the first time, with 2,800 volunteers, making 5.5 million checks, providing statistics on population, property ownership, indoor toilets and fixed baths.

In some rural areas of England and Wales, less than half of homes in 1961 had an inside toilet, but this was not the case in our area.

In both Hatfield and Welwyn, just 4.3 per cent of homes had only an outdoor toilet. The figures for Welwyn Garden City and Potters Bar stood at 0.3 per cent and 0.6 per cent respectively, ranking them 1,398 and 1,341 out of 1,400 areas data was collected for.

The 1961 Census also asked if households had a fixed bath without waste-water plumbing, and the figures were once again low for our area.

In Welwyn Garden City, just 0.3 per cent homes did not have a fixed bath, ranking them 1,394 out of all local authorities, but nearby Welwyn saw baths become more of luxury with the number jumping to 7.5 per cent – although this still gives them a national ranking of 1,286.

Most Hatfield and Potters Bar homes had baths too, with just 5.9 per cent and 2.9 per cent not having one.

Figures were also available for property ownership, with the following figures showing the percentage change since the 1961 and 2011 Census:

Council rented

  • Potters Bar - 20.9 per cent
  • Hatfield - 25.3 per cent
  • Welwyn Garden City - 53.3 per cent
  • Welwyn - 22.4 per cent

Private Rented

  • Potters Bar - 2.5 per cent
  • Hatfield - 7.4 per cent
  • Welwyn Garden City - 5.7 per cent
  • Welwyn - 3.5 per cent

Owned

  • Potters Bar - 8.3 per cent
  • Hatfield - 13.9 per cent
  • Welwyn Garden City - 38.1 per cent
  • Welwyn - 29.3 per cent

The populations of three of our four towns have increased from 1961 to 2011, with Welwyn Garden City growing by 32.2 per cent from 35,179 to 46,500, while Hatfield’s has jumped by 35.7 per cent from 39,696 to 53,884.

The biggest population growth came in Welwyn, jumping 46.4 per cent from 6,935 to 10,151, while the number of people in Potters Bar has decreased slightly by 1.2 per cent from 23,376 to 23,089.