Welwyn was originally the estate of
Harold Irving Pratt, an American oil industrialist and philanthropist who was born in 1877, and died at Glen Cove in 1939. Harold Pratt, the owner of Welwyn, was one of the sons of
Charles Pratt, who was also an oil industrialist and was the founder of the
Pratt Institute in
Brooklyn, New York. Welwyn includes the estate's original Georgian-style mansion, which was built in 1906, and was designed by
Babb, Cook & Willard. The home was renovated in 1920 by
Delano & Aldrich. Pratt's wife,
Harriet, was an avid horticulturist, leading to the installation of numerous
greenhouses on the grounds as well as a luxury garden adjacent to the western side of the main home. ==As a preserve==