 |
|
|
LETCHWORTH - THE FIRST GARDEN CITY
| Letchworth, situated in
North Hertfordshire, a thriving industrial and
residential town with a population of approximately
32,000 was the first planned and developed 'Garden City'
in the world and forerunner of new-town planning and
thinking. Letchworth has good lines of communication, being close to the A1M (junction 9), halfway between Hitchin and Baldock, The station is on the Great |
|
|
| Northern route from Kings Cross to Cambridge. The fast trains now reach the | ||
|
capital in 30 minutes, stopping only at 3
stations before reaching Kings Cross. The main shopping area is concentrated in the town centre and the wide pavements and well-designed shops make shopping a pleasure. The Shopping facilities are constantly being improved, including a recent redevelopment to block pave the entire town centre, initiatives to bring in new shops and restaurants, and the redevelopment of the cinema to include 3 |
|
| screens (the main screen is reportedly the largest screen outside London). The most | ||
| recent development however is the
construction of a new Super Market in the town centre to
be completed in summer 1999. Open spaces and recreational amenities are amply provided with a modern Leisure Centre, an open-air swimming pool, art deco 3-screen cinema, 2 town centre museums, football ground (including newly build stands and facilities). |
|
|
| Howard Park (located near the centre of the town) with its lawns, flower beds and | ||
|
children's pool, is a most pleasant area
which is always busy during the summer. To the north is Norton Common, 63 acres of unspoiled grass and woodland adjacent to the ancient Roman highway of Icknield Way. Both these areas house Letchworth's famous black squirrels. First sighted in 1944, these truly black squirrels are found only within four miles of the town. The visual effect of Letchworth's planning |
|
| is seen in the quite impressive approach to its centre along Broadway with its | ||
| avenues of linden trees leading to the
Town Square and its attractive rose beds. Here are
located the Town Hall (1935) and the Museum and Art
Gallery (erected in 1914 and extended in 1962) together
with Public Library erected in 1938. Looking towards the town's first centenary, Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, which owns and manages a £75m property estate in the |
|
|
| Garden City, is spearheading a multi-million pound program to revitalize Letchworth. | ||
by Adam Schofield |
||
