“It is intersected by good main roads, and is about 26 miles from London on the Main Line of the Great Northern Railway Company. The Estate has been laid out according to a well-defined scheme of development with ample provision for Recreation Spaces and Large Gardens.”
(Extract from prospectus for Knebworth Garden Village, Herts, 1909)
A hundred years on, and this month Knebworth completes its 2006 Parish Plan. Two and a half years have gone into the production of this fine document that is not only a record of what we cherish about our community but is also packed with ideas on how to solve the things we don’t like. Of course, congestion features prominently, as our “good main roads” now bring a share of problems along with their benefits and in many cases we’ve lost sight of that “ample provision” for Recreation Spaces. However, we’re still a Village, if not a Garden Village and although London feels a little closer, it’s still about 26 miles away!
Meanwhile in one of our Recreation Spaces, this month, we gather in praise of the car – as Knebworth Park hosts “Fathers’ Day Cars in Park” on Sunday 18th. Wolseleys, Morris Minors, Triumph Renowns, Daimler Darts, Jenson Interceptors… if there’s a little congestion in the show field for this happy event we won’t mind too much!
Henry Lytton Cobbold
www.knebworthhouse.com