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“A paradigm of the Span ethos, where light, space and green surroundings reign supreme”
This three-bedroom apartment was built in the late 1950s by Span, a development company inspired by Scandinavian modernist architecture. It sits on the first floor of The Hall within Span's Cator Estate and is surrounded by beautifully maintained communal gardens. Wide windows draw in plenty of light to the apartment, which unfolds across a generous 975 sq ft of internal accommodation. A highly coveted spot, The Hall sits just half a mile from the village-like delights of Blackheath.
The Hall VII
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History
In his book 'The Spirit of Span Housing', James Strike says: “Span housing was the inspiration of two young men, who, during the 1930s, met as architectural students at the Regent Street Polytechnic. Eric Lyons and Geoffrey Townsend both had a keen interest in modern architecture… They believed that there was a market for well-designed houses in carefully designed landscapes for the sort of people who recognised good design when they saw it – and they were right.”
In 2006, Span was the subject of an exhibition at the RIBA, and the accompanying book, Eric Lyons and Span (ed. Barbara Simms), gives a comprehensive survey of its history. “The work of the architect Eric Lyons,” it states, “is as well-loved now as it was vibrantly successful when first constructed. Built almost entirely for Span Developments, its mission was to provide an affordable environment ‘that gave people a lift’.”
Graham Morrison of Allies & Morrison Architects, who bought a Span house in Blackheath in the early 1980s, described the joy of living on the Cator Estate: “I find it hard to imagine a more pleasant and safe place, so close to the city, in which to bring up young children. A shared garden made the making of friends easy and a sensible management structure helped to ensure the maintenance of not only the buildings and gardens, but also the aims of the community.”
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