Hampstead Garden Suburb was founded in 1906 by Dame Henrietta Barnett, who described the care with which every aspect of the design was to be considered :

The houses will not be put in uniform lines nor in close relationship built regardless of each other, or without consideration for picturesque appearance. Great care will be taken that the houses shall not spoil each other’s outlook, while the avoidance of uniformity or of an institutional aspect will be obtained by the variety of the dwellings, always provided that the fundamental principle is complied with that the part should not spoil the whole, nor that individual rights be assumed to carry the power of working communal wrong.

The master plan was prepared by Barry Parker and Sir Raymond Unwin. Unwin was in charge of the project from 1907 to 1915. Sir Edwin Lutyens was a consultant, responsible for the design of the formal centrepiece, St Jude’s Church, the Free Church, the Institute and the surrounding houses.

A number of distinguished architects contributed to the variety of house design. These included M H Baillie Scott, Michael Bunney, C G Butler, C Crickmer, Geoffry Lucas, J C S Soutar, Charles Wade and Herbert Welch, in addition to Parker and Unwin Themselves.

The Suburb today is a unique area characterised amongst other things by the inter-relationship of the following:

• excellent quality building materials and traditional craftsmanship;
• high quality planting and landscape;
• ingenious grouping of buildings which reinforce a sense of community;
• houses designed to harmonise with each other and often grouped around greens, quadrangles or closes;
• wide use of pebbledash, generally unpainted, otherwise white or cream; red, purple and brown stock brick, and handmade red plain tiles;
• features, such as chimneys, dormer windows and bays designed to add individuality.

Even the smallest cottages are architect designed with the same care as the larger houses.