Garden City Cottages Group AGM 7 July 2012 Source: Modern Housing in Town & Country (1905) Cornes
Everybody at Letchworth is complaining about the weather, and really, the complaints are quite justified, as it has been very rainy and cold, and quite unlike the summer weather one expects from May and June.... Let us hope that July has much in store for us in the shape of fine weather. Extract: The Garden City, July 1907 Progress on the estate
Exhibition Cottages project Janet Capstick
The initial brief.. Research construction methods for Exhibition cottages (1905 & 1907) in order that the Group can provide owners, estate agents and other interested parties with more information
..has developed More comprehensive information for walking tours Additional content for website Get behind the bricks and mortar Ambition is to create an online virtual tour, including more information on cottages
Approach Phase One Information on construction methods and how the cottages have changed (currently working on 1905) Phase Two Developing the story behind the cottages Phase Three Developing the online tour and supporting material
We need your help! Do you have information on any of the early garden city cottages photos, plans or info on past residents? When undertaking renovation work or alterations to cottages have you found interesting and unusual features? Do you live in one of the non traditionally built cottages and have you had problems with the fabric of the building? Or have you got some personal anecdotes you can share with us? If so we want to hear from you Please email: j.capstick@jonhuntassociates.co.uk, phone Janet on 620432 or call round to 13 Eastholm Green
Some things you may not know It nearly didn t happen here (Chartley Castle Staffs) and initially Letchworth Manor was too small A larger area was pieced together Letchworth Village, Norton Village, parts of Willian & Radwell A name? Rurisville, Garden City, Letchworth, Wellworth, Homesworth and Alseopolis Very slow progress on the Garden City initially Street names have changed since Middle Street, Main Avenue, North Road as well as Exhibition Road Original Garden City is Garden City on Long Island
Cottages First ones Alpha Cottages 1904 22 32 Baldock Rd. Picton and Hope J.St Loe Strachey promoted the 150 cottage and necessity of demonstrating new construction techniques Nov 04 FGC Ltd Board approves site for CC Exhibition to be opened Summer 05 Benefits publicity value and availability of permanent exhibits to house industrial workers It was not specifically about cheap accommodation for agricultural workers
Cottages (2) Pre Exhibition things were progressing: Cheap Cottage Exhibition included some 85 entries Classes 1 4 prizes for cottages Classes 5 8 prizes for best designs and specs relating to Classes 1 4 Special prize for best wooden cottage
Blowing the budget! Much debate and criticism followed the exhibition Exhibits exceeded the 150 limit and critics argued many more would have if the costs of architects fees and builders profits had been included Week end cottages or cottages for middle working classes?
Demand for workers cottages Factories built & operating at Letchworth in 1906: Heatly Gresham Engineering Co Ltd (Car Manufacturing Garden City Press Ltd (Printers) The Standard Company Ltd (Photographic Sundries Manufacturers) Vickers & Field (Asphalte Manufacturers) Parkinson & W. & B Cowan Ltd (Gas Fitters) Factories under construction in 1906: J.M. Dent & Co (Publishers) Herz & Co. (Swiss Embroidery Manufacturers) Other sites had also been let, including for W.H. Smith & Sons Bookbinding Department [Source: Garden Suburbs Villages & Homes All about Co partnership Houses 1906]
Co operative Cottages Effectively early forms of shared ownership: Garden City Tenants (Eastholm, Westholm, Birds Hill (for Heatley Gresham Motor Company Ltd), Pixmore) Letchworth Cottages and Buildings Ltd Howard Cottage Society Ltd National Cottage Society Ltd Norton Cottage Society Ltd Letchworth Housing Society Ltd 1060 cottages in total were built by these societies before 1914 (GCT & HCS building over half) Helping meet demand for workers cottages at affordable rents Before government investment in Social Housing came about
So who did live in the cottages? Will be looking at 1911 Census records Records for 13 Eastholm Green show a Mr Brewer, married with 3 children, who worked as a bookbinder Highly likely he worked at the WH Smith & Sons Bookbinding Dept! Rents on Westholm Green recorded as from 8s.6., 7s and 9s depending on the cottage
Construction methods Wall systems framed construction or monolithic Framed construction: Timber or metal framing Monolithic: Traditional brick and other materials, predominantly concrete (Source: CHS Newsletter No 72 Sept 2005, Article by John McGuinness The Cheap Cottages Exhibition Letchworth: A comparative Study)
Construction methods (2) Lack of detailed construction information for system built cottages Timber framed systems 15 entries in total Metal framed systems little detail of the metal framing given for many entries Represented a significant attempt to move away from traditional timber frame or load bearing stone or brick walls (Source: CHS Newsletter No 72 Sept 2005, Article by John McGuinness The Cheap Cottages Exhibition Letchworth: A comparative Study)
Construction methods (3) Concrete either concrete blocks or precast concrete buildings (only one of the two has survived) Roofing most cottages used clay roofing tiles but some tried none traditional roofing materials or systems: 211 Icknield Way, was to be iron but as cottage was to remain tiles were used instead 130 Wilbury Road, 1in tongued & grooved boards, covered with thick metal sheeting 106 Wilbury Road, Asbestos (Source: CHS Newsletter No 72 Sept 2005, Article by John McGuinness The Cheap Cottages Exhibition Letchworth: A comparative Study)
Monolithic Walls Concrete Block Precast Concrete Brick & Roughcast Brick & Roughcast Asbestic Brick Mack Partition Slabs (Mackolith Mack slabs faced with tiles to represent brickwork)
Mack Cottages
Framed Construction Timber Framed Weather Boarded Timber and Damp proof Sheeting Timber Framed above brickwork (18in), roughcast & weather boarded originally Brick on edge & Iron Reinforcement Steel Framing
Personal reflections Ebeneezer Howard just how much he persevered to deliver his vision The early garden city cottages (exhibition or not) are an important aspect of Letchworth s history Information lots of it but not in one place Hopefully this project when complete will help