The contribution of Sir Ebenezer Howard to

the evolution of architecture in 19th century

Britain.

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Ebenezer Howard
(29 January, 1850–1 May, 1928)

Sir Ebenezer Howard 1850-1928,

English town planner, principal
founder of the English garden-city
movement. His To-morrow: a
Peaceful Path to Real Reform (1898),
reissued as Garden Cities of To-
morrow (1902), outlined a model self-
sustaining town that would combine
town conveniences and industries
with the advantages of an agricultural
location.

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2
 Life
He was born in Fore Street in the
City of London. He was son of a
shopkeeper. He started his education
firstly in Suffolk, then Cheshunt in
Hertfordshire and finally completing his
education at the age of 15 at Stoke Hall,
Ipswich. His formal education was
limited.
After starting work in a
stockbroker’s office at age 15, Howard
learned shorthand and held various jobs
as a private secretary and stenographer
before becoming a shorthand reporter in
the London law courts. While he
worked for a firm of law stenographers

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Howard witnessed the regeneration of
the central business district and the
development of the city's rapidly
growing suburbs.

3
Life
 Influenced by an Uncle who was a farmer, at the age of 21 he emigrated with
two companions to the United States with the intention of farming. They travelled to
the West and he settled on 160 acres in Howard County, Nebraska as a homestead
farmer. This venture did not work out and soon discovered that he was not meant to
be a farmer. Shortly he made his way to the city of Chicago. He moved to Chicago,
Illinois to resume his career as an office worker. He worked as a reporter for the
courts and newspapers. Howard began to think about ways to improve the quality of
life.
By 1876 he was back in England. He arrived at a time when the city was
recovering from the great fire of 1871 which had destroyed most of the central
business district. He found a job with Hansard, and he joined a firm of official
Parliamentary reporters. Here he was responsible for recording the details of debates ,
committees and commissions and it was at this occupation that he spent the rest of his
life.
In 1904, Howard’s wife died; he remarried in 1907. Howard moved to live in
the first Garden City, Letchford, in 1905. He first lived in Norton Way South for
some time, and moved to Homesgarth in 1911. He was elected first president of the
Garden Cities and Town Planning Federation in 1913, and became an honorary

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member of the Town Planning Institute in 1914.
Howard moved to Welwyn Garden City in 1921, the second garden city he
founded. There he remained until his death. He was knighted in 1927. He died on
May 1, 1928 after suffering a chest infection and stomach cancer.
4
Life
 The Trigger
Howard was frustrated by the problems of housing and labour. He
observed that all parties no matter how opposed politically, socially or by
religious beliefs were virtually united by one issue, the continued stream
migration from country districts to the already overcrowded cities.
The background to the problem was the growth of the Victorian
industrial cities. Industrialization had drawn the population into the cities with
the promise of better wages, and amongst other attractions, more opportunities
for work and social activities.
Unfortunately the cities became overcrowded, housing, water supply and
drainage inadequate and rents and prices high.
On the other side of the problem , the country and agricultural land
was being stripped of its able bodied population. Depressing the economy of
these areas and leaving villages deserted with the remaining population crowded
into poor quality dwellings.

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The shortage of living accommodation for agricultural workers and the
decline of the agricultural communities increased the pressure that drove the
people towards the towns and cities.

The Trigger 5
 Working long hours for low wages the agricultural workers could not
afford to rent properties at a level that encouraged new building.
The migration of the population led to disastrous living conditions in
both the cities and the country for those without the money to get away from the
worst of it. The overcrowding and the industrial pollution together with the lack of
good water supplies, poor drainage , poverty and slum living conditions led to
disease.
Several outbreaks of cholera between 1831 and 1854 killed hundreds of
thousands, creating national concern for the public health. Various reports around
the early 1840's reported on Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Classes .
Polluted water supplies due to inadequate or total lack of sanitary sewage and
waste facilities , poor burial practices , and the effect of overcrowded housing were
all identified as sources of disease.
Gradually public health legislation led to improvements in water supply
and drainage and planning controls for buildings were introduced. This led to the
mass of suburban housing built to conform with the new legislation around existing

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cities. It didn't address the problem of migration.

The Trigger 6
 As a young man Howard had spent his spare time moving in
various intellectual circles including nonconformist churchmen , other
religious groups and reformers. The land question was a major source of
discussion among these groups, and the many issues concerning land
ownership, land nationalization, land taxation, land values, and the
problems of urban squalor and poverty would have been issues he was well
aware of.
He see the various attempts being made by industrialists to set up
healthy, well planned model communities for their employees.
There were several earlier developments for example Copley in
1849-53, but the most notable were those by W.H.Lever (1851-1925) and
George Cadbury (1839-1922) who were both later involved in the Garden
City movement.
The housing here was of a quality and design that influenced later
construction at New Ears wick (built for the employees of Row tree in
1902, this village was begun by Parker and Unwin before Letchworth and
features many of the ideas that they would develop for the Garden City),

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and early estates by London County Council.

The Trigger 7
 Influences and Ideas
Howard read widely, including Edward Bellamy's 1888 utopian novel
Looking Backward and thought deeply about social issues.
One result was his book titled To-Morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real
Reform, which was reprinted in 1902 as Garden Cities of To-Morrow. This book
offered a vision of towns free of slums and enjoying the benefits of both town
(such as opportunity, amusement and high wages) and country (such as beauty,
fresh air and low rents). Through his ideas, he outlined a model self-sustaining
town that would combine town conveniences and industries with the advantages
of an agricultural location.
The garden city movement is an approach to urban planning that was
founded in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. Garden cities
were to be planned, self-contained communities surrounded by greenbelts, and
containing carefully balanced areas of residences, industry, and agriculture.
Two cities were founded based on Howard's ideas: Letchworth Garden

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City and Welwyn Garden City, both in England.

Ideas 8
 THE TOWN-COUNTRY MAGNET

This diagram of Ebenezer Howard

shows the position of people at the time of
The Industrial Revolution. People in
England at that time have a question in
their mind that 'Where will they go?,’
Ebenezer Howard gave answer of this
question by this diagram.
He explained that there are two
choices for them first is Town and second
is country. But both options has its
negative points.
So he give them the third choice
Town – Country. It was the combination
of both town as well as country. The
Town – Country were new suburban

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towns of limited size, planned in advance,
and surrounded by a permanent belt of
agricultural land. Such suburban Cities
were the perfect blend of city and nature.

Ideas 9
 Ideas
10

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 The Garden City
The diagram above shows the plan of The Garden City prepared by
Sir Ebenezer Howard.
"An estate of 6,000 acres was to be bought and held in trust for the
people of Garden City. A town was to be built near the centre of the estate to
occupy about 1,000 acres. In the centre was to be a park in which were placed the
public buildings, and around the park a great arcade containing shops, etc. The
population of the town was to be 30,000. The building plots were to be of an
average size of 10 by 130 feet. There were to be common gardens and
cooperative kitchens. On the outer ring of the town there were to be factories,
warehouses, etc., fronting on a circular railway. The agricultural estate of 5,000
acres was to be properly developed for agricultural purposes as part of the
scheme, and the population of this belt was taken at 2,000.
The diagram on next slide represents one section or ward of the town.
It consists six magnificent boulevards--each 120 feet wide--traverse the

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city from centre to circumference, dividing it into six equal parts or wards. In the
centre is a circular space containing about five and a half acres, laid out as a
beautiful and well- watered garden; and, surrounding this garden, each standing
in its own ample grounds, are the larger public buildings--town hall, principal
concert and lecture hall, theatre, library, museum, picture-gallery, and hospital.
Ideas 11
 Ideas
12

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 The rest of the large space encircled by the 'Crystal Palace' is a public park,
containing 145 acres, which includes ample recreation grounds within very easy
access of all the people.
Running all round the Central Park (except where it is intersected by the
boulevards) is a wide glass arcade called the 'Crystal Palace', opening on to the
park. This building is in wet weather one of the favorite resorts of the people. Here
manufactured goods are exposed for sale. The space enclosed by the Crystal Palace
is, however, a good deal larger than is required for these purposes, and a
considerable part of it is used as a Winter Garden --the whole forming a permanent
exhibition of a most attractive character brings it near to every dweller in the town--
the furthest removed inhabitant being within 600 yards.
Passing out of the Crystal Palace on our way to the outer ring of the town,
comes Fifth Avenue--lined, as are all the roads of the town, with trees--fronting
which, and looking on to the Crystal Palace, we find a ring of very excellently built
houses, each standing in its own ample grounds. The houses are for the most part
built either in concentric rings, facing the various avenues, or fronting the
boulevards and roads which all converge to the centre of the town. Noticing the

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very varied architecture and design which the houses and groups of houses display--
some having common gardens and co- operative kitchens. The municipal authorities
exercise control though proper sanitary arrangements are strictly enforced.

Ideas 13
 Then comes 'Grand Avenue'. This avenue is fully entitled to the name it bears,
for it is 420 feet wide, and, forming a belt of green upwards of three miles long, divides
that part of the town which lies outside Central Park into two belts. It really constitutes an
additional park of 115 acres--a park which is within 240 yards of the furthest removed
inhabitant. In this splendid avenue six sites, each of four acres, are occupied by public
schools and their surrounding playgrounds and gardens, while other sites are reserved for
churches.
On the outer ring of the town are factories, warehouses, dairies, markets, coal
yards, timber yards, etc., all fronting on the circle railway, which encompasses the whole
town, and which has sidings connecting it with a main line of railway which passes
through the estate. This arrangement enables goods to be loaded direct into trucks from
the warehouses and workshops, and so sent by railway to distant markets.
The refuse of the town is utilized on the agricultural portions of the estate, which
are held by various individuals in large farms, small holdings, allotments, cow pastures,
etc.

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Ideas 14
 This is another diagram made
by Sir Ebenezer Howard. It
illustrates that the garden city
(which he proposed) must be built
around the central big city.
Small town or garden city will
grow around big city and will be
connected with each other as well
as big city with rail network and
road network.

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Ideas 15
 Letchworth Garden City

Letchworth Garden
City, is a town in
Hertfordshire, England.
This Garden City
was founded Sir
Ebenezer Howard in
1903, was one of the first
new towns, and is the
world's first Garden City.
Its development inspired
another Garden City
project at Welwyn Garden
City, as well as many
other smaller projects

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worldwide.

Garden City Founded By Ebenezer 16

Howard
 Welwyn Garden City

Welwyn Garden City is

a town in Hertfordshire,
England.
Welwyn Garden City, as
its name suggests, is a garden
city, founded by Sir Ebenezer
Howard in the 1920s following
his previous experiment in
Letchworth Garden City, and
designed by Louis de Soissons.

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Above two are the two towns, named as garden city. These are the
examples of the garden city founded by Sir Ebenezer Howard.

Garden City Founded By Ebenezer 17

Howard