The Free Church is a Grade II listed building in the North Hertfordshire local planning authority area, England. Church.

The Free Church

WRENN ID
stark-plinth-finch
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
North Hertfordshire
Constituency
North East Hertfordshire MP: Chris Hinchliff (Lab)
Country
England
Type
Church
Address
The Free Church, Norton Way South
OS grid reference
TL 220 325
Coordinates
51.97796, -0.22445
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Free Church is a building constructed in 1923 by B Parker, designed in a Classical style with a Greek cross plan. It features Welsh slate roofs and is made of brown brick with red brick dressings, along with a wooden modillion cornice that runs around the open pediments of its four arms. The church has architraved sash windows with flat gauged brick arches, dressings, and glazing bars. The main east front includes a three-bay arcaded entrance that is accessed by steps. This church is considered the most significant of the post-World War I buildings in Letchworth, marking a notable shift in style and materials from the informal Arts and Crafts movement to a more formal classicism.

Local climate

The Free Church sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 700 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 90% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 79% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 55% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
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  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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Nearby listed buildings

  1. Mrs Howard Memorial Hall Grade II 90 m
  2. 296, Norton Way South Grade II* 173 m
  3. Gateway to Number 302 Grade II 268 m
  4. Abendheim Grade II 271 m
  5. Vasanta Hall Grade II 278 m
  6. Garden City Corporation Offices Grade II 352 m
  7. Letchworth Garden City War Memorial Grade II 357 m
  8. Town Hall Grade II 365 m
  9. The Museum Grade II 378 m
  10. 43, Lytton Avenue Grade II 382 m