Letchworth

Letchworth: Spirella Building The Spirella Building (1920), former manufacturing base of the Spirella Corset Company, Letchworth, North Hertfordshire, Eng.

Letchworth, town (parish), North Hertfordshire district, administrative and historic county of Hertfordshire, east-central England. It is located north of London, about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Luton.

Britain’s first planned “garden city,” much copied elsewhere, it was founded in 1903 by Sir Ebenezer Howard, founder of the new town movement. The commercial centre and the residential and industrial areas are carefully separated. Industries include engineering, printing and publishing, and light manufactures. Pop. (2001) 32,932; (2011) 33,249.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
Citation Information
Article Title: Letchworth
Website Name: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published: 05 November 2013
Access Date: February 22, 2025