Welwyn Garden City Heritage Trust

Bill Evans winning the 1 mile race Murphy Radio sports day 1951

Trust's Heritage Hat-Trick

The Welwyn Garden City Heritage Trust is celebrating - our third bid for lottery money has been approved! The Trust’s new project ‘Play’ is all about the leisure activities of the town’s residents during the period 1920-1980. “Ebenezer Howard described a garden city as a place where people can Live, Work and Play” explained the project manager Tony Skottowe. “The Trust has already done a ‘Live’ project on housing and another on ‘Work’, which led to our book ‘Where Do You Think We Worked? - a timeline of WGC industries’.”

Above: Bill Evans winning the 1 mile race at Murphy Radio sports day in 1951.

Waterstones selling Trust books

Waterstones is now selling Trust books! You now have another option of where to get our books as Waterstones in WGC now stocks all three. You can walk into the Howardsgate store and pick up the brand new QEII book, the industrial timeline or 'Garden Cities - The British Example'.

'The QEII - A Hospital's Story' front cover

'The QEII - A Hospital's Story' now available!

'The QEII - A Hospital’s Story' has arrived. Written by Trustee Angela Eserin it begins with WGC’s Cottage Hospital and the long struggle to get a new general hospital for Welwyn Hatfield.

Garden Cities Book - buy direct!

The Trust's Garden Cities book can be purchased directly from us (by collection or post). 'Garden Cities - The British Example' is also on sale at WH Smiths in the Howard Centre, WGC; Huttons in Marsden Road, WGC; Gardners Books, Whittle Road, Eastbourne and Davids Bookshop, Letchworth. The Trust is currently researching other possible outlets following the closure of The Bookshop in the Howard Centre on 6th March 2014.

Langdon Davies - Buyer at Welwyn Stores Bookshop

Book selling?

The Trust has had a wonderful donation to its archive from Althea R whose stepfather worked at the Welwyn Stores. It includes a letter from George Bernard Shaw concerning the promotion of one of his books.

Garden Cities - The British Example - book cover

Garden Cities Book

The Garden Cities book published by the Trust is now available to purchase. It retails at £16.99 (+ postage and packing if required). It is also in stock in The Bookshop (in Howard Centre), W.H.Smiths (in Howard Centre) and Huttons newsagents in Marsden Road.

Welwyn Matches

The Where Do You Think We Worked? project has resulted in some unusual artefacts being loaned to the Trust to be photographed or scanned.

Roche - home to 4th Battalion Home Guard

Roche contributes to the industry project

Roche Products Ltd, which acquired its Welwyn Garden City site in 1937 and opened its factory in 1938, has kindly donated a collection of 18 photographs to the Where Do You Think We Worked? project from its archive.

Cresta Silks

Many people remember the name of Cresta Silks the company that originally started with a factory in Broadwater Road in 1929, then moving to Howardsgate in 1938 before settling into the Welwyn Department Stores in 1954.

The 7 Acre Site for Shredded Wheat's Model Food Factory

A Wonderful Collection Of Shredded Wheat Photos

The Trust has received a collection of photographs of the iconic Shredded Wheat factory - including its construction, staff working and advertising material. A few of these images are shown below...