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Catalogue description WELWYN GARDEN CITY Companies, 1918-1960.
This record is held by Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies
| Reference: | D/EFf |
|---|---|
| Title: | WELWYN GARDEN CITY Companies, 1918-1960. |
| Description: |
Business records and Deeds of The Pioneer Trust, Welwyn Garden City Ltd. and their related companies, 1918-1960 |
| Date: | 1918-1960 |
| Related material: |
[See also D/EES] [See also D/EES] Another deposit of papers of a more personal nature relating to Sir Ebenezer Howard and his work is to be found under Hertfordshire Record Office reference D/EHo. A deposit of plans made by Louis de Soissons in the 1920s and 1930s showing the different kinds of housing used in Welwyn Garden City during its construction can be found in D/EX 618. |
| Held by: | Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies, not available at The National Archives |
| Language: | English |
| Creator: |
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| Immediate source of acquisition: |
1099, 2252, 2269 |
| Subjects: |
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| Unpublished finding aids: |
Notes made during the preparation of this inventory are preserved in the record Office. |
| Administrative / biographical background: |
Brief notes on the companies whose records are here listed are appended below. It will be noticed that main records of the principal company, Welwyn Garden City Limited, have not been deposited and in consequence it has not been possible with any certainty to describe the exact relationship between it and its satellites. Welwyn Garden City Ltd. [See B1-31] Incorporated in 1921 on the inspiration of Ebenezer Howard, the founder of Letchworth Garden City, supported by a team of enthusiasts and businessmen, including Sir Theodore Chambers. From the beginning F J Osborn, later Sir Frederick Osborn, was Secretary. Pioneer Trust Ltd. [See B32-34] A separate organisation registered in 1918. Unable to find a site suitable for the foundation of its ideal settlement, the directors joined forces in 1921 with W G C Ltd. The following year the name was changed to New Towns Trust Ltd. By 1932 W G C Ltd. had a controlling interest in the Trust which became a limited company in 1934, having transferred its holdings of W G C Ltd. shares and stock to the central holding company, Howardsgate Trust. New Town Housing Ltd. [See B35] A subsidiary of New Towns Trust registered in 1921 which, having sold its remaining houses to existing tenants, was dissolved in 1923. New Town Agricultural Guild. [See B36] A subsidiary of New Towns Trust formed in 1921. In 1924 it took over Digswell Lodge and Digswell Water Farms from Hall and Bartholomew [See below]. Management was handed over to New Towns Trust in 1925 and the next year the society became Welwyn Dairy Farms Ltd. After sale of assets and liquidation by the parent company of its debts, Welwyn Dairy Farms, which had been hit by the general agricultural slump, was voluntarily wound up in 1930. Welwyn Brick Works Ltd. [See B37] Registered in 1921 and amalgamated with Herts. Gravel and Brick Works Ltd. in 1929. Handside Houses Ltd. [See B38-39] Registered in 1920. Financed largely by loans from the Public Works Loans Board and developing land leased by W G C Ltd., it paid the parent company 5% of rents collected. Amalgamated in 1946 with County Houses Ltd. under the name of Welwyn Country Houses Ltd., all assets were transferred to the new company. Welwyn Public Utility Society Ltd. [See B40-43] Another development company registered in 1920. Building on land leased by W G C Ltd., it was largely financed by loans from Welwyn RDC. In 1927 the Ministry of Public Works disapproved of the society's intention to build houses beyond 'strictly local demand.' In 1928 it was amalgamated with Moat Wood Houses, Sherrardswood Properties and Garden City Houses [see below] with capital and increased borrowing powers amounting to £100,000. After surviving the financial difficulties of the period of slump, it was incorporated as a limited company in 1934 preparatory to being taken over by W G C Ltd. Hall and Bartholomew Ltd. [See B44] Company floated in 1920 to farm Digswell Lodge and Digswell Water Farms as tenants of W G C Ltd. The farms were sold to New Town Trust in 1924 and the company went into voluntary liquidation in 1929. Digswell Nurseries Ltd. [See B45-46] Formed in 1921 largely to supply developers with trees and shrubs. Though commercially successful, the company appears to have been the victim of vagaries of administration and extraordinarily complicated accounting on the part of the parent company, W G C Ltd. It went into voluntary liquidation in 1949 and its business was sold to the Welwyn Garden City Development Corporation. Welwyn Playing Fields Ltd. [See B47] Formed in 1921, wound up in 1923. Welwyn Transport Ltd. [See B48-51] Registered in 1922, it operated a light railway and road transport for the delivery of materials to building contractors, road making materials, coal etc., to work a gravel pit and to retail petrol. It later leased vehicles to Welwyn Stores. Incorporated as a limited company in 1941. In 1951 Welwyn Stores gained a controlling interest in the company which was voluntarily wound up in 1954. Welwyn Garden City Consultative Council [See B52] No information regarding the constitution of this council has been discovered. Sherrardswood Properties Ltd., Garden City Houses Ltd., Moat Wood Houses Ltd. [See B53-55] Registered in 1924, 1924 and 1925, these were development companies amalgamated in 1928 with Welwyn Public Utility Society Ltd. under the name of the last-named company. Utility Investment Ltd. [See B56] Registered in 1926, it confined its operations to investments of 'social utility'. It went into liquidation in 1933, finally making distributions to its share-holders amounting to 1211½d in the E. Welwyn Garden City News Ltd. [See B57] Registered in 1924; published Welwyn Garden City News (later Welwyn News) and a year book. It was voluntarily wound up in 1928. Welwyn Garden City Investments Ltd. [See B58] Registered in 1926. Assets transferred to Howardsgate Investment Trust in 1934. Factory Buildings Ltd. [See B59-62] Date of registration not known because early minute books not deposited. The name was changed to Commercial Buildings Ltd. in 1929 and to Welwyn Commercial Buildings (Holdings) Ltd. in 1931. The company went into voluntary liquidation in 1949. Playhouses Ltd. [See B13-64] This company ran the Welwyn Theatre both as cinema and live theatre at a steady loss. The cinema was sold in 1936 and the company wound up in the same year; the surplus from the sale was credited to W G C Ltd Loan Account to offset the company's debts. Associated Welwyn Services Ltd. [See B65] It is not known when this company was either registered or wound up. Its main functions appear to have been the selling of horticultural sundries, egg-packing and the manufacture of hurdles, garden furniture etc. Danesbury Properties Ltd. [See B66-71] A development company incorporated in 1948 to take over Lockleys and Tewin Water estates from W G C Ltd. and the Danesbury estate from Howardsgate Investment Trust. It went into voluntary liquidation in 1957. Herts. Gravel and Brickworks Ltd. [See B72-75] Registered in 1925; became limited company in 1939. Gravel pits were closed down in 1941. The company was voluntarily wound up in 1950. Welwyn Stores (1929) Ltd. [See B76-77] The company was sold to Associated British Foods in c 1953. Welwyn Country Houses Ltd. [See B82-83] An amalgamation of Handside Houses and Country Houses, it was registered in 1946 and went into voluntary liquidation in 1949. Welwyn Electricity Installations Ltd. [See B84-85] A successor to Welwyn Electricity Supply Co. which was nationalised, it was registered in 1946. It went into voluntary liquidation in 1950 after sale of business and goodwill to the Eastern Electricity Board. Welwyn Hotels Ltd. [See B86] Registered in 1947 and voluntarily wound up in 1952 after assigning Guessens Court Hotel and Handside Farmhouse to Danesbury Properties. Howardsgate Properties Ltd. [See B100] This was presumably intended to succeed Howardsgate Investment Trust but it appears not to have begun operations at all, although incorporated as a limited company in 1953. Howardsgate Investment Trust Ltd. (Extract from rules) The objects of the Society are - (a) to carry on the business of an investment and finance Society. (b) To buy, hold, sell, exchange or otherwise deal in Shares, Debentures, Stocks and other investments in any Company registered under the Companies Act or Society registered under the Industrial & Provident Societies Acts. (c) To buy, hold, sell, exchange or otherwise deal in Land, Houses, Industrial & Commercial premises and shop properties of every description both leasehold and freehold and to that end to enter into engagements, building agreements and leases of any description to Mortgage or accept Mortgages on any such properties and to let any such properties to tenants on any terms. Welwyn Builders and Joiners The objects of the Society are - (a) To carry on the industries, trades or businesses of Builders, Joiners, Decorators, Cabinet-makers and General Contractors. (b) To undertake all branches of supply whether as Merchant, Manufacturer, or Transporter. (c) The Society shall have power to do all such things as are directly or indirectly incidental or conducive to the attainment of the above objects or any of them, including the power to purchase, hold, sell, exchange, mortgage, rent, lease, sub-lease, surrender, accept surrender of and deal with lands of any tenure and to erect, pull down, repair, alter, or otherwise deal with any building thereon. Welwyn Stores Limited The objects of the Society are - (a) To build, erect, construct, decorate, furnish, equip, fit up and maintain general stores in Welwyn Garden City or elsewhere, and to convert, alter, reconstruct, rebuild and improve any of the same respectively as from time to time may be deemed expedient. (b) To carry on in such stores and buildings and at any other place or places within the United Kingdon or elsewhere, the business (both wholesale and retail) of a Co-operative Store and General Supply Society in all its branches and to transact all kinds of agency business. (c) To buy, sell, manufacture, repair, alter and exchange, let on hire, export and deal in all kinds of articles and things which may be required for the purposes of any of the said businesses, or commonly supplied or dealt in by persons engaged in any such businesses, or which may seem capable of being profitably dealt with in connection with any of the said businesses. (d) To grant to ticket holders and others any special privileges and advantages and to make arrangements with persons engaged in any trade, business or profession for the concession to the Society's members, ticket holders and their friends, of any special privileges or advantages. |
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