LETCHWORTH - THE FIRST GARDEN CITY

by Martha James

In 1903 the Garden City Pioneer Company, which became First Garden City Limited, bought 3,800 acres of land, at a cost of 151,569 pounds 9s 6d or about 40 pounds per acre. The objective of the Garden City Pioneers was "to promote the relief of overcrowded areas and to secure a wide distribution of the population over the land". Ebeneezer Howard, the author of Garden Cities of Tomorrow which formed the basis of the plan for Letchworth, was also one of the directors of "the Company". Ebeneezer partly took his inspiration from the paternalistic employers who had built towns for their workers; Titus Salt who built Saltaire in 1853, Cadbury who built Bournville in 1878 and the Lever Brothers who built Port Sunlight in 1887. The critical differences were that Ebeneezer wanted to build a self-sustaining and diverse town with both factories and an agricultural estate, and that the land was to be held in common.

The original shareholders who put up the money to buy the land did not expect a dividend. Only leaseholds were available on property, and the ground rent was paid to the Company, with the idea that the surplus would be used for the benefit of the town, rather than becoming the landlords profits. It took until 1973 for the balance to go into surplus, but it now pays for a private hospital, the only one in the country to treat N.H.S patients free of charge, as well as an educational farm and leisure and community centres. The surplus in 1993/94 was 2,524,000 pounds.

The town offered architects the opportunity to try out new ideas, including prefabrication and the use of concrete panels and blocks. The Cheap Cottages exhibition of 1905-1907 included a competition to build a house for 150 pounds including land, and most of the entries are still standing and in good condition. One unfortunate exception is the circular house built from 16 flat concrete panels which crumbled when an attempt was made to dismantle and move it. The Spirella corset factory is probably the best example of industrial architecture in the town; in accordance with the "Light and Air" principles it has giant windows and was originally set in floral gardens.

In 1961 a property speculating company called Hotel York bought a controlling portion of the original shares in the Company, with no intention of abiding by the original principles. Until then the community effectively had a veto on developments; there were no tower blocks, multi-storey car parks or shopping centres, and there was only one traffic light. A Private Members Bill in 1962 wrestled back control, forming a town Corporation, which replaced the Company as the collector and redistributor of ground rents. Recently the Corporation used the covenant on the land to successfully oppose a plan by Blue Circle to build an incinerator.

One disappointment when I visited was that all of the streets, which are mostly tree lined, were also lined with cars. The town was planned on a human scale, so that everything is within easy reach on foot or by bicycle, and there is a fast rail connection to London. Yet there does not appear to be any non-car transport strategy in place.

The town and its' First Garden City Heritage Museum are well worth visiting for yourself to see what happened when forward thinking people actually managed to get it together.

The First Garden City Heritage Museum, 296 Norton Way South, Letchworth Garden City, Herts SG6 1SU.

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