There’s something about Span housing – and this home in its very first estate proves why
While Lyons was well versed in modernist architecture, having earned his stripes working with the revered founder of Bauhaus, Walter Gropius, Townsend had a penchant for village-like architecture surrounded by lovely landscaped gardens. Together, they married both visions beautifully and their contribution to housing has since been extensive: there are 30 Span estates nestled within serene suburban areas still standing tall today.
Parkleys was built between 1954 and 1956 on a plot in Ham, which sits on the fringes of south-west London. With Lyons as chief architect, up went 169 flats within 15 blocks and six maisonettes built above shops. Each housing block was – rather beautifully, we think – named after a poet, such as the 17th-century wordsmith Robert Herrick. And that’s precisely where this listing’s building, Herrick Court, gets its title.
Having received its Grade II-listed status in 1998, the original exterior details remain intact and are nothing short of glorious. We particularly love the graphic sans-serif font that spells out ‘Herrick Court’, the geometric design of the bricks and tiles and the large swathes of glazing that mean the wooden communal staircase can be viewed from the grounds. Thankfully, there are wonderful mid-century features inside this apartment too, such as the glass partition dividing the kitchen and living space and the tiled hearth. But there are plenty of harmonious contemporary touches that bring the apartment right up to date, including the pleasing ply cabinetry in the kitchen, for example.
One of the founding principles of Span is that its buildings should have a blossoming relationship with the outdoors, so Lyons often looked to the landscape for guidance and inspiration – he even built this estate around the mature trees that were rooted here before it. The communal gardens, with their well-kept lawns and tall evergreens, were given as much thought as the architecture itself. They were designed to encourage occupants to come together and socialise outside, thus establishing a sense of community that owners of homes with private gardens might never get to experience. Pretty courtyards connect Herrick Court with its neighbours, the pathways of which are decorated with dappled light from towering silver birch trees. Now, name a more charming place to meet a friendly face for a spontaneous natter?
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