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Collection of books on Welwyn Garden City

Genesis of Welwyn Garden City - Some Jubilee memories

Author: Frederic J. Osborn

First published: 1970 by Town and Country Planning Association

Format: Paperback 8½" by 5½" with 28 pages

Some Jubilee memories

This book is one of my favourites. It covers mostly the 1919-1920 period. The author gives an interesting account of the main events from which I have gleaned the following chronology:

1898:	Ebenezer Howard's book Tomorrow: A peaceful Path to Real Reform published - later re-titled Garden Cities of To-morrow.
1903:	Founding of the First Garden City at Letchworth.
1913:	Formation of the International Garden Cities Association with Howard as first president until his death in 1928.
1917:	Formation of the National Garden Cities Committee, to promote the garden city concept, by Howard, Osborn, C.B. Purdom (accountant of the First Garden City), and W. G. Taylor (on staff of J. M. Dent & Sons, and later its chairman).
1918:	Osborn's book New Towns After the War published by Taylor's firm at a shilling.
1918:	Famous walk by Howard, Purdom and Osborn on farmland north of Hatfield (Peartree Farm to Hunter's Bridge to Brocks Wood and back to Hatfield by the Great North Road) which Howard had observed from the train as a large area of land which could be an ideal site for a second garden city.
1919:	The 1917 Committee becomes the Garden Cities and Town Planning Association with Purdom as full-time secretary and editor. Captain Richard L. Reiss (tax advisor to Lloyd George) becomes chairman.
1919:	On 30th April Howard wrote to the fourth Marquess of Salisbury asking if he would sell some land necessary for the scheme. Salisbury was not forthcoming at that time, saying he could only deal with a properly-finance association, and pointing out that much of the land required was in another estate anyway.
1919:	By an amazing coincidence, part of the land observed by Howard from the train came up for sale, and, without telling the others, at an auction sale (on Friday 30th May) of part of Lord Desborough's Panshanger Estate, Ebenezer Howard bought 1,458 acres of land for £51,000, without the cash to pay for it. The land included the 5 farms Upper and Lower Handside, Brickwall, Digswell Lodge, and Digswell Water. [Sherrards Wood was added to the agreed purchase after the auction.]
1919:	Provisional board established comprising Howard, Purdom, Reiss, J. R. Farquharson (a philanthropic and wealthy businessman who was director of Howard Cottage Society of Letchworth), Lt-Col. F. E. Fremantle (consulting Medical Officer of Health for Hertfordshire), Walter Layton (distinguished economist), and Bolton Smart (a director of First Garden City Ltd). A pioneer company called Second Garden City Limited was registered with capital of £150,000 with surplus profits to be used for the benefit of the town and its inhabitants. [This company was the forerunner of Welwyn Garden City Ltd which was registered on 29th April 1920 with a capital of £250,000.]
1919:	October - agreement reached with Lord Salisbury to purchase 694 acres for £40,000.
1919:	11th November Sir Theodore Chambers (surveyor, director of many companies, and war-time controller of the Treasury's National Savings Committee) becomes chairman of the Company.

The book continues with an account of the commencement of building. The first outline plan of the town was made by C. M. Crickmer who designed the first group of 50 houses built in Handside Lane. Louis de Soissons was appointed on 26th April 1920 as architect planner of the town, and he very quickly presented his famous plan to the director on 11th June.

This book is very short (18 pages) but there is much more in it than I have outlined above.

(click on the images for a better view)

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