Episode 82. Letchworth: Industrial and Garden City

SYNOPSIS

In spite of being named the first Garden City in 1903, Letchworth in Hertfordshire, some forty miles north of London, was conceived as a model industrial town that was built upon both enterprise and employment. Only five years after the publication of Ebenezer Howard’s seminal book, Tomorrow a Peaceful Path to Real Reform in 1898, which envisaged a new type of hybrid settlement that combined the best features of town and country, the Letchworth experiment commenced using a layout plan by the consulting architects Barry Parker and Raymond Unwin.

Never intended to be merely a pleasant place to live, Letchworth needed to be large enough to encourage the mass movement of manufacturers and their employees from overcrowded cities and to function as a self-reliant new town. In its collaborative efforts, First Garden City Ltd was fortunate to have, amongst its directors and supporters, the entrepreneurs who had constructed the model settlements of New Earswick (the Rowntrees), Bournville (the Cadburys) and Port Sunlight (William Lever).

The interview covers the evolution of Letchworth from 1903 to 1920 as the idealistic vision of Ebenezer Howard was tested against the harsh commercial realities of business and the challenges of attracting buy-in from both manufacturers and working families.

GUESTS

A librarian by profession, Philippa Parker leads the Letchworth Local History Research Group. She co-edited Industrial Letchworth: The first garden city, 1903-20, which was published by Hertfordshire Press in 2021. Based on new research into a wealth of source material, the book puts to rest some of the enduring myths about the garden city, revealing a nuanced picture of the founding of a working city

Simon’s interview with Philippa Parker was recorded at her Letchworth home on 9 February 2026.