New Town Herts Architects
The chief architects of the new towns were able to have control of the planning and design of urban centres like never before. Instead of the organic, messy growth seen in existing towns and cities in Britain, the new towns of Hertfordshire would be logically planned and uniformly designed. This totality still shows in the new towns, with each reflecting the style of the times and of the men who planned them, Letchworth with it’s wholesome Arts and Crafts, Welwyn showing a slightly stuffy neo Georgian air and the post war towns of Hatfield, Stevenage and Hemel Hempstead where concrete shows the way. Below is some information about the men who designed these towns and an index of all the architects featured.
Parker and Unwin
The partnership of Richard Barry Parker (1867-1947) and Raymond Unwin (1863-1940) won the competition to plan the worlds first garden city at Letchworth on a site of 3800 acres. Very much influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, and in particular the ideals of William Morris, the partnership designed most of the housing stock of the new town. In 1905 the pair were invited to design Hampstead Garden Suburb, with Unwin leaving Letchworth a year later to concentrate on the new project, while Parker remained in the garden city. The partnership was dissolved in 1914, Parker becoming an international town planning consultant and Unwin moved into public sector work with the Ministry of Health and later the Ministry of Munitions.
Louis De Soissons (1890-1962)
De Soissons was born in Canada in 1890, the youngest son of Charles, the Count de soissons. The family moved to England when Louis was a young child, and he took up architecture in 1913. The planning and design of Welwyn Garden City was his first major project, and he used a neo-Georgian style with hints of the Arts and Crafts form used in the first garden city at Letchworth. Many of the town centre buildings were personally designed by De Soissons, such as the Welwyn Stores Building (now John Lewis), and the College of Education (1956). De Soissons also designed the more modernist Shredded Wheat factory (1925) in the industrial section to the east of the town centre. De Soissons was aided in his task by architects like A.W. Kenyon who helped with the town centre design and C.H. James who designed much of the housing stock. De Soissons would be involved with the planning of Welwyn Garden City for the rest of his working life, with his partnership carrying on with designs for the town after his death in 1962.
Lionel Brett (1913-2004)
Brett, like Louis De Soissons, was born into an aristocratic family, becoming Lord Esher on the death of his father in 1963. Brett was born in Windsor in 1913, and studied at Eton and Oxford. Brett qualified as an architect in 1939, and served as a gunner in the Royal Artillery in World War 2. After the war he formed a partnership with Kenneth Boyd, and one of their first jobs was the Hatfield New Town project. Brett designed the overall plan for the new town, with much of the design work done by a range of architects including Brett’s partners, Boyd and Peter Bosanquet, as well as others such as Basil Spence and Stillman & and Eastwick-Field. In 1957, 50 Brett and Boyd designed houses lost their roofs overnight in a storm. The ensuing adverse publicity and litigation dissolved the partnership, and Brett went back into private practice, later serving as the president of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Leonard Vincent (1913-2007)
Leonard Vincent was born in Ilford in 1913. He studied architecture in london, but at the outbreak of war in 1939 joined the Royal Engineers, seeing action in North Africa and Italy. At the end of the war, Vincent completed his studies and went into private practice in Essex. He joined the Stevenage Development Corporation in 1949 as Assistant Chief Architect, later becoming the Chief Architect and Planner for the new town. Vincent took a hands on approach to the design of the new town, personally designing buildings such as the Public Swimming Pool and adjacent Bowes Lyon Centre himself with later partner Raymond Gorbling. Vincent also designed his own home in the town, in Rectory Lane. His partnership allowed him to carry on designing buildings in the town up until the Development Corporation was wound up in the 1980’s. Vincent died in 2007 at the age of 93.
Geoffrey Jellicoe (1900-1996)
Born in Chelsea in 1900, Jellicoe began architectural studies at the AA in 1919. He specialized in landscape design, and published his first book on the subject, Italian Gardens of the Renaissance, in 1926 and later set up the Landscape Institute 3 years later. Two of his most famous projects are the Kennedy memorial Garden in Runnymede (1965-66) and the Gardens at Sutton Place in Surrey, created in the 1980’s. Jellicoe also designed the moderne styled Caveman Restaurant at Cheddar Gorge in Somerset in 1936.
Architects Index
Parker and Unwin
The partnership of Richard Barry Parker (1867-1947) and Raymond Unwin (1863-1940) won the competition to plan the worlds first garden city at Letchworth on a site of 3800 acres. Very much influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, and in particular the ideals of William Morris, the partnership designed most of the housing stock of the new town. In 1905 the pair were invited to design Hampstead Garden Suburb, with Unwin leaving Letchworth a year later to concentrate on the new project, while Parker remained in the garden city. The partnership was dissolved in 1914, Parker becoming an international town planning consultant and Unwin moved into public sector work with the Ministry of Health and later the Ministry of Munitions.
Louis De Soissons (1890-1962)
De Soissons was born in Canada in 1890, the youngest son of Charles, the Count de soissons. The family moved to England when Louis was a young child, and he took up architecture in 1913. The planning and design of Welwyn Garden City was his first major project, and he used a neo-Georgian style with hints of the Arts and Crafts form used in the first garden city at Letchworth. Many of the town centre buildings were personally designed by De Soissons, such as the Welwyn Stores Building (now John Lewis), and the College of Education (1956). De Soissons also designed the more modernist Shredded Wheat factory (1925) in the industrial section to the east of the town centre. De Soissons was aided in his task by architects like A.W. Kenyon who helped with the town centre design and C.H. James who designed much of the housing stock. De Soissons would be involved with the planning of Welwyn Garden City for the rest of his working life, with his partnership carrying on with designs for the town after his death in 1962.
Lionel Brett (1913-2004)
Brett, like Louis De Soissons, was born into an aristocratic family, becoming Lord Esher on the death of his father in 1963. Brett was born in Windsor in 1913, and studied at Eton and Oxford. Brett qualified as an architect in 1939, and served as a gunner in the Royal Artillery in World War 2. After the war he formed a partnership with Kenneth Boyd, and one of their first jobs was the Hatfield New Town project. Brett designed the overall plan for the new town, with much of the design work done by a range of architects including Brett’s partners, Boyd and Peter Bosanquet, as well as others such as Basil Spence and Stillman & and Eastwick-Field. In 1957, 50 Brett and Boyd designed houses lost their roofs overnight in a storm. The ensuing adverse publicity and litigation dissolved the partnership, and Brett went back into private practice, later serving as the president of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Leonard Vincent (1913-2007)
Leonard Vincent was born in Ilford in 1913. He studied architecture in london, but at the outbreak of war in 1939 joined the Royal Engineers, seeing action in North Africa and Italy. At the end of the war, Vincent completed his studies and went into private practice in Essex. He joined the Stevenage Development Corporation in 1949 as Assistant Chief Architect, later becoming the Chief Architect and Planner for the new town. Vincent took a hands on approach to the design of the new town, personally designing buildings such as the Public Swimming Pool and adjacent Bowes Lyon Centre himself with later partner Raymond Gorbling. Vincent also designed his own home in the town, in Rectory Lane. His partnership allowed him to carry on designing buildings in the town up until the Development Corporation was wound up in the 1980’s. Vincent died in 2007 at the age of 93.
Geoffrey Jellicoe (1900-1996)
Born in Chelsea in 1900, Jellicoe began architectural studies at the AA in 1919. He specialized in landscape design, and published his first book on the subject, Italian Gardens of the Renaissance, in 1926 and later set up the Landscape Institute 3 years later. Two of his most famous projects are the Kennedy memorial Garden in Runnymede (1965-66) and the Gardens at Sutton Place in Surrey, created in the 1980’s. Jellicoe also designed the moderne styled Caveman Restaurant at Cheddar Gorge in Somerset in 1936.
Architects Index