296, Norton Way South

No 296 on Norton Way South is a Grade II* listed building constructed between 1906 and 1907 by B Parker. This office was designed in an East Anglian vernacular style for the Parker and Unwin firm. The original plan intended for the building to be double its current size, featuring a drawing office and a private suite that would mirror the existing structure. However, the design was altered after Unwin left Letchworth in 1906.

The building has an L-shaped plan, comprising a two-bay hall, which was formerly the drawing office, and a solar wing at the north end, which serves as the partner's office. It stands one and a half storeys tall, topped with a thatched roof that has a decorative ridge and a brick chimney. The solar wing is half hipped, and the roughcast walls are punctuated by two, three, and four-light windows, including oriel windows at the rear with transoms. These windows feature artificial stone surrounds, leaded lights, and thatch eyebrows. The entrance is recessed and includes double doors.

Inside, the hall or studio has painted brick walls and an open timber roof. The office or solar features a copper-hooded, arched fireplace and a cruciform window with stained glass by Hesman of Harpenden. An extension was added in 1937 by B Parker in a similar style at the south end, and a further addition was made in 1976 for the Garden City Museum.