Hampstead Garden Suburb

Book excerpt: Hampstead Garden Suburb, described by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as 'the most nearly perfect example of the unique English invention the Garden Suburb', celebrates its centenary in 2007. Founded by Dame Henrietta Barnett, after a long campaign to protect the open land north of Hampstead Heath from indiscriminate development, the Suburb was planned by Raymond Unwin, with Edwin Lutyens responsible for the Central Square with its twin churches and institute. Unwin, with his partner Barry Parker, had recently planned Letchworth, the first garden city, while Lutyens, after a decade of designing country houses, was anxious to participate in the 'high game' of classical architecture and civic design. The built environment of the Suburb encapsulates a unique blend of Arts and Crafts informality and meticulously detailed Queen Anne and Georgian style.