epw014808 ENGLAND (1926). The Shredded Wheat Factory, Welwyn Garden City, 1926

There are a few of Letchworth like this one ..



epw013190

Sir Ebenezer Howard (1850 –1928) is known for his publication Garden Cities of To-morrow (1898), the description of a utopian city in which people live harmoniously together with nature.



This resulted in Welwyn and Letchworth garden cities near London. The ideas were also used in relation developments, such as Bournville by the Cadburys in Birmingham and the Rowntrees in York. I have annotated EPW001104 Bournville.



The concept of the garden city is in contrast to the planned city. There are numerous examples of geometric developments in the Britain from Above collection, for example Billingham EPW032188. However, these do not always carry with them the philosophical approach to the relationship between those dwelling in the garden city and the landscape. For example, Cadbury insisted that the housing provided for workers in the chocolate factory should include a garden with an apple tree, thus encouraging a productive relationship with the land. Indeed, many of the Bournville’s houses might be described as cottages, reminiscent of those built on the more well-found English country estates from the shire countries. The garden city was attempting to bring the country to the town.