NEN Gallery

The original building was erected in 1907 to house the architectural offices of Barry Parker and Raymond Unwin.

It was designed by Barry Parker with the intention that a mirror image would be added to it at a later date to house Raymond Unwin’s private studio and drawing office. The extension was never built as Raymond Unwin moved to Hampstead to work on Hampstead Garden Suburb.

The style of the building with its steeply pitched roof thatched with Norfolk reed reflects architecture of East Anglia, and is based on the form of the Medieval Hall. The main drawing office is now the Ebenezer Howard Gallery. Parker’s private office remains as it was.

The garden was laid out by Parker to imitate the style of Gertrude Jekyll an architectural gardener of the period, whose principles included the introduction of wild plants to natural settings.

In 1937 Parker extended the building by adding a two-storey thatched wing to provide living accommodation for his family.

In 1972 Barry Parker’s widow, Mrs Mabel Parker, sold the property to Letchworth Garden City Corporation to be used as a museum.