Letchworth Garden City: The Original Planned Town That Changed British Urban Design
Letchworth Garden City was the first garden city in the world. It was founded in 1903, based on Ebenezer Howard's 1898 book "To-Morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform," which proposed planned communities combining the best of town and country living. The layout was designed by Barry Parker and Raymond Unwin, and the principles they established, tree-lined avenues, generous gardens, low-density housing, public green space, influenced British town planning for the rest of the century. The town has a population of about 34,000 and sits in the North Hertfordshire district, roughly 35 miles north of London. The original garden city ethos included a ban on pubs, which lasted until 1958. The Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation still manages significant assets in the town.
The town centre on Leys Avenue, Station Road, and Eastcheap has an Arts and Crafts character. The Spirella Building, a former corset factory on Bridge Road, is a striking Edwardian structure now converted into offices. Broadway Gardens and Howard Park provide the intended green space at the heart of the town. Letchworth station is on the Cambridge line, with services to London King's Cross in about 40 minutes and to Cambridge in roughly the same. The A1(M) passes to the west. Hitchin is two miles to the south, and Baldock borders to the east. For those interested in adult companionship in north Hertfordshire, Letchworth's direct rail link to King's Cross and its A1(M) access put it within easy reach of London, Stevenage, and Cambridge.
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Letchworth Garden City was the first garden city in the world. It was founded in 1903, based on Ebenezer Howard's 1898 book "To-Morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform," which proposed planned communities combining the best of town and country living. The layout was designed by Barry Parker and Raymond Unwin, and the principles they established, tree-lined avenues, generous gardens, low-density housing, public green space, influenced British town planning for the rest of the century. The town has a population of about 34,000 and sits in the North Hertfordshire district, roughly 35 miles north of London. The original garden city ethos included a ban on pubs, which lasted until 1958. The Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation still manages significant assets in the town.
The town centre on Leys Avenue, Station Road, and Eastcheap has an Arts and Crafts character. The Spirella Building, a former corset factory on Bridge Road, is a striking Edwardian structure now converted into offices. Broadway Gardens and Howard Park provide the intended green space at the heart of the town. Letchworth station is on the Cambridge line, with services to London King's Cross in about 40 minutes and to Cambridge in roughly the same. The A1(M) passes to the west. Hitchin is two miles to the south, and Baldock borders to the east. For those interested in adult companionship in north Hertfordshire, Letchworth's direct rail link to King's Cross and its A1(M) access put it within easy reach of London, Stevenage, and Cambridge.
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