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Welwyn
Garden City Wins Out
Pre-planned Community Proves Value for Homes and Industry
By SIR THEODORE CHAMBERS, K.B.E.
Fellow of the Institution of Chartered Surveyors
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The land for Welwyn Garden City, the second Garden City built in England,
was purchased by Ebenezer Howard in 1919, at a price somewhat, but not
much, above its value for agricultural purposes. At that date the 4 square
miles of territory, although within 25 miles of London, was a remote,
rather inaccessible, piece of the countryside. Two or three farm houses
and a few cottages for agricultural laborers were the only buildings,
and these were approached by narrow country lanes.
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| UNSPOILED
COUNTRY
AND
PLANNED
TOWN,
WELWYN
GARDEN
CITY |
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SECTION
OF
WELWYN,
SHOWING
SITES OF
TWO FACTORIES
PICTURED
ON PAGE 59 |
(Click on the image to enlarge) |
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In that period of high prices and dear money, a bolder scheme than that
of developing a new town, satellite to London, could scarcely have been
conceived. Howard's idea, stated in simple terms, was that of building
a self- contained, independent industrial town of reasonable size, well
planned in all its parts, providing the maximum of satisfaction for its
inhabitants in their labor and in their life outside working hours. He
believed that these conditions could be secured more rapidly and more
completely by building a new city de novo on virgin land than
by the slow process of reconstructing an existing unit encumbered by "vested
interests," dependent on the maintenance of the status quo.
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Before the pioneers were able to organize a company to promote the project,
a pin had been pushed into the bubble of the short-lived post-war boom,
and it was with the greatest difficulty that the promoters were able to
proceed with the undertaking. From 1919 till 1933, when the Company was
reconstructed, the history of the Company is one of the unceasing overcoming
of well-nigh insuperable financial difficulties. Wave after wave of deflation
reduced the value of all capital works undertaken during periods of higher
price levels. Houses which had cost £1,000 in 1920 had to meet the
competition of similar houses which could be built later for £300.
The fall in costs of construction affected adversely the values of every
thing the Company had done of a capital nature. Roads, sewers, water works,
disposal works, buildings of all sorts - all could have been produced
in later years at lower price levels. At the same time the Company was
saddled with high interest rates on loan capital. It was only by reason
of the intrinsic merits of the project and the inherent possibilities
of the future that the Company in 1933 was able to make terms with the
holders of shares and debenture stocks and to reconstruct the capital
of the concern on a sound basis. The losses which were involved were considerable,
but the proprietors of the prior charges, faced with the alternative of
foreclosure and probable liquidation, met the situation with generosity,
and the continuity of the enterprise was secured. Last year the Company's
shares entered the dividend list; on a small scale, it is true, but the
prospects for the future are considerable.
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In addition to the normal development of the land, the Parent company,
through various subsidiaries, builds factories, shops and houses. It owns
the chief department store. It operates the Electricity Supply Company,
and conducts other businesses of an ancillary nature.
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In 1926, the area of the town -some 2,460 acres* - was constituted an
"Urban District," and its local government is in the hands of
an elected Urban District Council functioning under the statutory provisions
of the English Local Government Acts. The Company has transferred to the
Council the water undertaking and the sewage-disposal works, which it
originally constructed, and the Local Authority exercises the normal jurisdiction
over the town in respect to highways, street lighting, health and sanitary
matters. The happiest relations exist between the Board of Directors of
the Company and the elected members of the Urban District Council, and
between the officials of the two bodies.
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*An additional area of 700 acres adjoining the original
estate has been purchased recently by the Garden City Company, making
the whole area in single ownership 3,160 acres.
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The present population is approximately 12,000, of whom possibly one-quarter
are dependent upon London, the principals of the families traveling to
and from the Metropolis; while three-quarters depend for their livelihood
upon the factories, workshops and other local sources of employment.
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The number of inhabited houses is over 3,000. Of these, 892 were built
by and belong to the local authority, having been erected under the various
post-war Housing Acts. The rents, including rates and water charges, range
from about $2.60 a week for a two-bedroom, non-parlor cottage, to $4.70
for a four-bedroom, parlor cottage. Most of the houses are provided with
well-built sheds. All have bathrooms and are lighted by electricity. Electric
cooking equipment is commonly used. The gardens are ample in size and
are almost invariably well cultivated. It is probable that the annual
value of the agricultural produce from the built-up area in the form of
fruit and vegetables is greatly in excess of that produced in the original
open fields. As an additional room in summer for children and grown-ups
alike, and as a place of recreation all the year round, the gardens possess
a social value which cannot be exaggerated.
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TO
WELWYN, WITH WORKERS' HOMES LIKE THESE . . . . |
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. . . FACTORIES LIKE THESE ARE ATTRACTED
(click
on the images to enlarge) |
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Factories and Stores
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There are upon the register today 45 factories, 16 work shops and 15 registered
work places in the town. Two American firms of standing, the Shredded
Wheat Co., and the Norton Grinding Wheel Co., own and operate the two
most important factories in the town. Both buildings are stately edifices
standing in their own grounds. The factory of the Shredded Wheat Co. was
the first noteworthy plant erected in the town in 1924, and it has been
consistently prosperous. It has been a great asset to the town and it
is a debt owed to the United States.
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The Company's policy in regard to retail shops was dictated to a large
extent by circumstances. It was obviously necessary in the earliest days
to provide for the full needs of the first inhabitants. The nearest village
was distant some three miles, and something had to be done about it. Various
interests were approached, but capital was chary of embarking in such
a speculative sphere. The Company had perforce to start its own general
store. This business has today a yearly turnover of over $1,000,000. There
is a large central store, and four branches in different parts of the
town. Although the service was fairly complete and covered all the main
requirements of life, there arose a disposition on the part of the inhabitants
to criticize the element of monopoly. Prices were, however, in fact strictly
competitive, and the service was, on the whole, efficient. Itinerant vendors
and metropolitan stores with delivery services would have kept a check
on any tendency to exploitation. The ability of the housewife to do all
her shopping under one roof was appreciated, but there remained the psychological
factor. People coming from other cities regretted the absence of their
streets of shops and missed the pleasure of wandering around comparing
goods and prices.
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Thus, independent individual shops were encouraged to start operations,
and a definite shopping center came into being, and, while the Company's
store remains the principal shop of the town, some twenty proprietary
establishments are now carrying on business.
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Recreation and Education
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The Cinema, which seats 1,100 persons, a noteworthy building, designed
by Louis de Soissons, the Company's architect, who has been responsible
for the town plan and the majority of the buildings in the town, was also
built by the Company. This establishment has now been disposed of to a
well-known Cinema Circuit, which will also promote additional theaters
as the demand arises.
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The educational facilities of the town are well provided for. The public
elementary schools in different parts of the town have been provided by
the County Council and are run on normal lines. By the nature of things,
Welwyn has attracted, in the main, a population young in years. The birth
rate per 1,000 in 1935, was 19.8, as compared with 14.7 for the whole
of England and Wales; while the death rate was only 7.4 per 1,000, as
compared with 11.7 for the rest of the country.
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The average age of the female population is just under 30, and of the
males just under 27 years and six months. This is five years younger than
the average age of the population in the county as a whole, which is 34.5
for females and 32.5 for males. Of the population in 1931, five years
ago, 3,248, or more than one-third of the population, were under 21 years
of age, and, what is perhaps more remarkable, 1,922, or just under a quarter
of the whole population, were under ten years of age. Apart from immigration,
these figures indicate that approximately 200 boys and girls living in
Welwyn in 1931 could be expected to reach school age every year. Manifestly
these conditions presented a problem to the educational authorities, and
demanded a vigorous policy of school building, which has been efficiently
adopted.
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With the rapid influx of a population of young people engaged in the factories
and workshops of the town, the question of the employment of leisure hours,
both in winter and in summer, has been a constant problem. The provision
of open spaces for organized games has been studied from the earliest
days, and between the Company and the Urban District Council it is expected
that sufficient provision will be maintained. There should be no difficulty
in providing adequately for sports grounds and playing fields as the population
increases.
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Health Association
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In health matters there is a similar cooperation between the Company,
private and personal effort, and the Local Authority with the Ministry
of Health behind it. The Welwyn Garden City Health Association was formed
in very early days with the advice of no less an authority than Lord Dawson
of Penn. The Health Association is a body created on lines similar to
the Educational Association, and its work is administered by two committees.
One deals with maternity child welfare and district nursing, and under
its supervision and control there are child welfare, ante-natal, massage
and dental clinics, and health visitors, district and school nurses and
midwives are employed. The Hospital Committee operates the local hospital
and an eye clinic and a nursing home.
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The interest in health matters shown by residents in Welwyn Garden City
is illustrated by the fact that there are 2,750 subscribers to the Health
Association. This includes 2,000 persons who subscribe to the Association
and Hospital through the Central Civic Fund industrial scheme. The Health
Association works in the closest co-operation with the Urban District
Council and the official Medical Officer of Health and the Sanitary Inspector
of the locality. That the system has proved to be well founded may be
indicated by one official figure. The infantile mortality rate for England
and Wales in 1935 was 57 per 1,000 live births; at Welwyn Garden City,
35.
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The Central Civic Fund was started in 1927 and was sponsored by the Rotary
Club, under the influence of J. W. Bryce, who was at that time Managing
Director of Shredded Wheat, Ltd. The idea was based on that of the Community
Chests, the value of which system Mr. Bryce had discovered in the United
Slates. The purpose of the fund is to facilitate the raising of money
for the voluntary organizations in the town which exist for general social
welfare and not on a sectarian or partisan basis. The fund supports the
Hospital, District Nursing, Infant Welfare, Home-Help, Red Cross, School
Development, The Library, Adult Education, The Guild of Help, and the
St. John's Ambulance Brigade. The fund is administered by the Urban District
Council, the Chamber of Commerce, the local trade unions and the participating
bodies. There are also co-opted members representing business and finance.
There are 2,630 subscribers, and 37 firms in the Town support the scheme.
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Welwyn is no longer in the experimental stage. It is recognized by industrialists
as one of the most advantageous locations for industry in the country.
The total population of England and Wales in 1931 was approximately 40,000,000.
Of these about half live within 100 miles of Welwyn, constituting an extraordinary
concentration of purchasing power. The supply of labor presents little
difficulty. Population follows the availability of work. Industrialists
are every day becoming more alive to the conditions under which their
employees live. They appreciate the value of the health and contentment
which good housing and advantageous living conditions produce. The operatives
at Welwyn live within walking distance of their work and are saved the
fatigue and wear and tear of long train or bus journeys. The children
are raised in conditions which are calculated to turn them into healthy,
satisfied men and women. No one has appreciated these aspects more than
the American firms that have established their factories in Welwyn.
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There would therefore appear today to be no reason why the development
of the town should not fully justify the faith of its original promoters.
Thanks to the genius of its Architect, Louis de Soissons, who has been
responsible for the layout and the control of the architectural treatment
since 1920, Welwyn is becoming a very lovely place in its maturity. Its
main avenues present vistas of great beauty in the spring and summer months.
The thousands of trees which have been planted on each side of the streets
are now reaching an age when they add greatly to the attractiveness of
the town. The surrounding country is easily accessible and is exceptionally
attractive. The industrial area, well planned and concentrated in appropriate
zones, does not detract but rather adds interest to the whole, and it
can scarcely be doubted that, as time passes, Welwyn will become more
and more appreciated by industrialists who have the interest of their
people at heart.
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