217, Icknield Way

This is a cottage located at 217 Icknield Way, built in 1905 with minor alterations and additions made in the late 20th century. The architect was Percy Houfton from Chesterfield, Derbyshire, who designed it for the Letchworth Cheap Cottages exhibition of the same year. The builders were Messrs Green Bros of Whittington, Derbyshire. The cottage features roughcast brickwork and a plain clay tiled roof, with roughcast gable chimneys.

The front elevation is two storeys with two bays and an off-centre doorway that is sheltered by an open, pitched roof porch. The half-glazed door retains its original door furniture. On either side of the doorway, there are stacked casement windows: three-light windows at both the ground and first floor levels to the right, and a four-light window at ground floor level to the left, with a three-light window above. All casements are subdivided into six panes and are set beneath plain drip moulds. To the left, there is a single-storey lean-to that is set back and features a two-light casement.

The rear elevation includes a doorway to the right flanked by small four-pane lights, with a three-light window to the left side and additional three-light windows at first floor level on each side, along with a circular window in between.

Inside, the cottage has a largely unaltered three-room plan on the ground floor, which includes original doors, a hearth, and a built-in dresser in the living room, along with much original door and window furniture.

Historically, Percy Houfton was associated with Barry Parker while Parker was working in Derbyshire. Houfton’s design won the first prize in the 1905 cottage class of the Letchworth Cheap Cottages Exhibition, which aimed to show that well-built, affordable housing could be provided for working families. This exhibition played a significant role in the Housing Reform Movement, leading to changes in building regulations and the eventual passage of the Housing and Town Planning Act of 1909.

This cottage is an almost unaltered example of a prize-winning design from the influential Letchworth Cheap Cottages Exhibition, retaining much of its original internal and external detail as well as its original plan form.