From the archive: Exploring the influence of the arts on the Garden Cities and New Towns
Posted on 17th Oct 2024 by Charlotte Llewellyn
By Charlotte Llewellyn
When you think of Sappho, your mind likely wanders to ancient Greece and the isle of Lesbos, where Sappho, considered by Plato to be the tenth muse, resided. Yet perhaps unexpectedly, she can also be found closer to home in Letchworth Garden City.
Created by Thomas Nelson Maclean, the statue of Sappho was gifted to Letchworth Garden City by his wife after his death in 1907.1 For a significant period, Sappho was the only public statue in Letchworth. After the original statue was stolen in 1998, a replica was reinstated in 2011. Sappho and her poetry are now intrinsically linked with Letchworth Garden City, and art and culture more broadly have a long history in the Garden City Movement.
From the archive: The arts and culture in Town and Country Planning
The early Garden City movement was intertwined with the arts and culture of the late 19th and early 20th century, most notably with the Arts and Crafts movement and the work of William Morris. This influence is reflected in early editions of the Journal, which contained regular references to the arts and literature of the time. This ranges from the award-winning short children’s story called ‘The Little House’ by Virginia Lee Burton to the Coming Cities by Lady Florence Dixie.
The influence of literature on the movement continued in the poetry of Frederic Osborn, including the collection of poems ‘Can Man Plan’ and the focus on embedding arts and culture into the New Towns. This is exemplified by the proliferation of sculptures across the New Towns, including Harlow and its collection of over 100 sculptures, the well-known Hippos of Glenrothes, and the renowned Apollo Pavilion of Peterlee.
Many recent TCPA members and collaborators will be aware of the Town and Country Planning Association's continued foray into poetry and folk music, from the beautiful poem “Housing with a Heart” by Eileen Gbagbo, commissioned as part of the Tomorrow125 project, to the legendary performances of Land of Promise across the UK. Art and culture remain at the heart of the TCPA’s work, as they are a creative and accessible means through which we can communicate the vision of the TCPA and the radical potential of town planning more broadly.