Route 1

30 - Denmark House

Denmark House for many years was the home of The Danish Bacon Company which moved to Welwyn Garden City in 1938 during “The Crisis” (when German troops moved against Czechoslovakia) transferring many of its head office staff to a sectional factory in Broadwater Road.

The company had already considered making the move months before, but the crisis hastened it.

The bust above the entrance in Parkway is of Louis de Soissons, architect and town planner, he was born in Canada, studied in Paris and Rome and chose the Neo-Georgian style of architecture that you see throughout the town.

The bust sits above what was for many years the main entrance to The Danish Bacon Company offices.

You have now reached the last stop on the Welwyn Garden Heritage Trust Town Trail. If you completed the whole trail we hope you have enjoyed finding out more about the town's heritage. If you wish to find out more about Welwyn Garden City heritage please visit www.welwyngarden-heritage.org.

However, if you missed some of the earlier stops or want to repeat the trail, then follow the map below to get to the start (find the QR code or click here to find the first location details).

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29 - Free Church and Cottage Hospital

Sainsburys first came to WGC in 1961 with a much smaller store. Redevelopment started in 2010 the new store with its living ‘green’ walls reopened in November 2011.
In the early years non-conformist denominations shared the Free Church. It opened in 1929 and, like St Francis of Assisi was planned to be the size of a cathedral.
The building further down Church Road, now The Doctor’s Tonic public house was formerly the Cottage Hospital (shown below), having moved there in 1940.

Cottage Hospital

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28 - St Francis 1935 and Purdom's House 34

Charles Purdom was an author, drama critic, town planner and economist. He was one of the pioneers of the garden city movement and was Finance Director of Welwyn Garden City Limited from 1919 to 1928. He founded the Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City Theatre Society, was the author of many books and produced numerous plays.

Further down Parkway (at number 50) stands St. Francis of Assisi Church. The Church was consecrated in 1935 and is now the parish church for the town. It was originally planned to be three times its size.

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27 - St Bonaventures 1926 and Mater Dei

St Bonaventure’s was the first church to be built in Welwyn Garden City and opened it doors to the catholic congregation in 1926. Immediately alongside it was Mater Dei Girls School (1962-1986). When it closed the grounds were developed for housing but the main buildings and chapel now house the UK headquarters of the Focolare Movement.

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26 - End of Dual Carriageway

Originally Parkway’s twin roads were going to be 1,300 yards long (1189 m), but finished here instead, in1929. They are 848 yards (775 m) long.

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25 - Christchurch Baptist 1938

Christchurch, Baptist was built in 1938 and extended in 1963.

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24 - Disguised Semi-detached Houses

When newly built, in the mid-1920’s, the houses on the south side of Barleycroft Road are believed to have cost £1,025. They are a good example of the way de Soissons used the gaps between the houses to highlight the trees that are such an integral part of WGC.

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23 - The Backhouse Room

The Backhouse Room, formerly a cart shed for Upper Handside Farm, was renamed after a Director of WGC Limited. It is now used as a community hall.

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22 - Site of Lawrence Hall 1922

Lawrence Hall, 7-9 Applecroft Road, was originally a gift to the town by a wealthy Letchworth resident, Miss Lawrence. In October 1922 it featured the first film shown in the town. It has seen many varied uses and was latterly the base for the light operatic society, the Welwyn Thailians. The hall fell into disrepair and has been replaced by the current two homes modelled externally on the original building. Look for the brass plaque by the footpath.

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21 - First State School 1923

Louis de Soissons designed the first state school in the Garden City. Called Handside School it opened in 1923 taking all ages. It has gradually changed to a Primary and become Applecroft School with its Childrens Centre.

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20 - Daily Mail 'Model Village' 1922

The Daily Mail’s “Model Village” was originally planned to be built on Parkway. It was actually built on Meadow Green in 1922, as part of the Ideal Homes Exhibition. Planned to be much larger its size was reduced due to the economic situation of the time.

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19 - Lower Handside Farm

Lower Handside Farm became the town’s first dairy soon after building began. Across the side road the original farm house can still be seen and is now part of the Barnside Court complex.

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18 - Barn Theatre

The popular Barn Theatre opened in 1932 and is the surviving barn building (which was much modified over the years) from Lower Handside Farm.

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17 - Friends Meeting House and Synagogue

The Friends Meeting House opened in1926. Behind it, on land donated by the Quakers, is the Synagogue. To the right is the Barn Theatre.

The Hebrew Community was founded in January 1939 when a group of Jewish Refugees from German concentration camps arrived in Welwyn Garden City. Between 1939 and 1955 religious services were held in various venues in the town until the Synagogue opened in September 1955.

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