Letchworth was founded by Ebenezer Howard in 1903 as the world’s first Garden City. Later, Welwyn Garden City and other international cities such as Canberra, Australia and Hellerau, Germany took their inspiration from Letchworth. Known in the media upon its inception as being a town for health freaks and idealists, Letchworth maintained this reputation up until 1958, when an unusual ban on selling alcohol on public premises was lifted.