Tomorrows Garden City

25 July 1905

The first 'Cheap Cottages' Exhibition was opened by the Eighth Duke of Devonshire on 25 July 1905. The Duke was a keen supporter of the 'cheap cottages' principle.

The Eighth Duke of Devonshire

In his opening address the Duke make comment that the exhibition “must be of very great interest to everyone connected…with the land. It was of interest to the largest class…, the class of agricultural labourers, for it was most important to them that they should be able to live in decent, well-built houses provided for them at a moderate rent.”

“It was alleged by men who he believed were practical men, that it was perfectly possible to build a house, which should be fit for habitation and convenient for a sum not exceeding £150. If it should be found through that exhibition that this was possible, they would have done a good deal, not, perhaps, altogether to solve, but to assist in a solution of the housing question. In conclusion, he congratulated the education Committee upon something more than a temporary work - it was a great permanent experiment.”

The Duke acted as Patron for the 1905 exhibition, donating £100. He returned as Vice President for the 1907 exhibition, donating £5 towards the prize fund.

25 July 2005 - Historic visit by Duke to Garden City...

History repeated itself in the world’s first Garden City on the 25 July 2005 when the Duke of Devonshire followed in the footsteps of his eighth Duke of Devonshire – 100 years ago to the day!

The twelfth Duke of Devonshire unveiled a plaque on two 1905 Cheap Cottages in Birds Hill, to the rear of the Howard Cottage Society owned Edwin Nott House, to commemorate the opening of the Cheap Cottages Exhibition in Letchworth Garden City by the then eighth Duke of Devonshire.

The Cheap Cottages Exhibition attracted nationwide publicity when the objective for a competition was to demonstrate that sound, if minimal housing, could be provided for agricultural workers to rent. 114 of these special houses were built in the Garden City at a total build cost of £150 each and 60,000 visitors were attracted to the exhibition. Only a handful of the original competition entries have been ‘lost’ to redevelopment over the years.

During his three-hour visit, the Duke visited the First Garden City Heritage Museum, made a tour of the ‘Cheap Cottages’ and was presented with a commemorative booklet by Stuart Kenny, Director General of Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation.

The Duke described the management of the Garden City Estate as “truly inspirational.”

Mr Kenny commented: “I was delighted that His Grace, the Duke of Devonshire, was able to join us on what was a historic day. It was particularly fitting that His Grace unveiled a plaque on 10/12 Birds Hill, two Cheap Cottages which were under threat of demolition which the Howard Cottage Society now intends to return and refurbish.”

Pictured left to right are: Stuart Kenny, John Robson, The Duke of Devonshire and Councillor Lynda Needham

Howard Cottage Chief Executive John Robson said: “The concept of social housing and local partnerships working to achieve this is nothing new. It’s a tradition that Howard Cottage is proud to have kept going for the best part of a Century, since our foundation in 1911 by the philanthropist Ebenezer Howard.

“We are also proud to be associated so closely with the whole Garden City movement and are grateful to His Grace, the Duke of Devonshire for his support in making the aims and values of a great social movement of the last Century relevant today.”