Meet the authors behind a new architecture book on Welwyn and Welwyn Garden City

But The Cherry Tree no longer exists today. In its place stands a very rock 'n' roll replacement: the Garden City's Waitrose supermarket.

"Led Zeppelin in Waitrose... in Welwyn Garden City! Waitrose!" author Paul Rabbitts exclaims incredulously.

This is just one of the astonishing facts Paul and his co-author and photographer Peter Jeffree have uncovered while writing Welwyn & Welwyn Garden City in 50 Buildings.

Paul and Peter met ten years ago when working for Watford Borough Council. Over a decade, the duo has collaborated on six books and have a seventh in the works.

Their latest creation unearths the stories behind 50 of Welwyn and Welwyn Garden City's most fascinating buildings.

Waitrose, once the Cherry Tree, where many famous bands have appeared. (Image: Amberley Publishing)

With the same publisher, Paul has written about 50 standout buildings in neighbouring Herts towns: Watford, Hertford, Leighton Buzzard and further afield in Luton and Manchester. A landscape architect by training, he's always taken an interest in buildings.

"Peter is my boss in a way because he's a councillor. I'm head of Watford's Parks, Heritage and Culture," says Paul, who lives in Leighton Buzzard.

Paul wrote his first book in 2010; he made his debut with a deep-dive into the history of the bandstand.

"I think I'm up to about 26 books now. With many, many on the go in my head. I don't watch a lot of TV. I just love reading and I love writing," Paul explains.

"I was aware that Peter took fantastic photographs. He offered his services when I said I was writing a book. I told him, 'as long as you can do it for nothing, that's fine,'" Paul chuckles. The rest is history.

The only remnant of the Panshanger Estate: a derelict orangery. (Image: Peter Jeffree)

For their most recent paperback, Paul explains that they could have easily focused on Welwyn alone - "every building is gorgeous". But the variety of older and newer buildings in the Garden City attracted the authors. They were keen to show the influence of the iconic urban planners Ebenezer Howard and Louis de Soissons.

Peter, also an architect, says: "Welwyn Garden City has this rich mix of older and newer buildings, which isn't always the case with most cities.

"It's nice to come up with examples that people aren't expecting - modern buildings are interesting too. Like the Sainsbury's store right in the middle of Welwyn Garden City. You wouldn't think it's of particular architectural interest, but actually, it is very interesting because it’s got a green wall and so on."

Between the two of them, they produced a list of 60-70 buildings of interest. Some of which were chosen from simply "driving around" Welwyn Hatfield, such as the Quaker Meeting house. Paul decides which places make the final cut based on what he can find out about them.

Here is a selection of the buildings featured in the publication.

The Barn Theatre, Welwyn Garden City

The Barn Theatre is now Grade II listed. (Image: Amberley Publishing)

This has to be one of the most unusual buildings in the Garden City. Dating back to 1832, the barn was once used as a milking parlour and dairy. During WWII it was used by the army and naval cadets. And now, it's a theatre.

Digswell House, Welwyn Garden City

Digswell House, now converted into flats, dates from the early 1800s. (Image: Amberley Publishing)

This sprawling mansion was built by the Fifth Earl Cowper in the early 1800s. Over the years it has been used as an Australian Auxiliary Hospital, an artists' retreat and residential flats.

Old St Lawrence Church, Ayot, Welwyn

The former church turned into a ruin by Sir Lionel Lyde. (Image: Amberley Publishing)

The 18th century lord of the manor of Ayot St Lawrence, Sir Lionel Lyde, rather liked the look of crumbling ruins.

So, he reduced the existing village church to a picturesque ruin and asked his architect, Nicholas Revett, to design a temple as a new church at the far end of his park.

New St Lawrence Church, Ayot, Welwyn

The new church was built by Sir Lionel and included a mausoleum for his wife and himself. (Image: Amberley Publishing)

The new church in question, which looks over fields. It is one of the earliest Georgian buildings in Greek style,
rather than Roman.

The portico which was built in 1778 is the first use of a Greek Doric order for a parish church.

Welwyn & Welwyn Garden City in 50 Buildings was published by Amberley Publishing on November 15, 2021. (Image: Amberley Publishing)