104-124, KNIGHTSFIELD

Flats, maisonettes, and houses were built between 1955 and 1956, set back behind a green along Knightsfield and divided by Digswell Road. Designed by Louis de Soissons, Peacock, Hodges and Robertson, the buildings are two and three storeys high. They are constructed of yellow-grey brick in a Flemish bond pattern, with brown concrete pantiled roofs. The two-storey end section is oriented to face the road with a gable, and the verge is treated as an open pediment featuring projecting brick pilasters. The three-storey block, which includes semi-detached maisonettes above ground-floor flats, has ridges running parallel to the road. The windows are small-paned timber casements, with occasional double-hung sashes. South-facing maisonettes incorporate first-floor balconies with French windows and concave profiled metal canopies above, creating a Regency-style character. This scheme stands out as a distinctive post-war design, continuing the tradition of the elegant, stripped-down Georgian style of the Garden City into the era of the Development Corporation. Situated on a hilltop, crossed by Digswell Road, the location provides a prominent approach to the centre of Welwyn Garden City from the north; the layout is both visually appealing and contributes to the townscape. Numbers 104-124 (even) are part of a unified composition alongside numbers 82-102 (even), 83-103, and 105-125 (odd).