Description

TQ 1771 PARKLEYS, HAM COMMON

22/23/10047 Nos.1-12 Herrick Court

22.12.1998

GV II

Block of twelve flats. 1954-6 by Eric Lyons for Bargood Estates Ltd, subsequently Span Developments Ltd; Geoffrey Paulson Townsend developer, G Scroble project architect, Wates builders. Brick end and partition walls, concrete, tile hanging and 'Eternit' blocks. Flat felted roof. Brick stacks. Three storeys. 'H'-plan with central entrance and stairwell. Entrance front has centre of four fully-glazed bays (metal panes), apart from open entrance to right side, the ground floor masked by covered walkway of timber bearing name of block; with concrete lattice ventilation panels to sides. Flank walls with continuous horizontal glazing in timber frames divided by tile hanging. Side elevations have the principal rooms, denoted by the first and second floors having to right two deeper windows with window box, divided at sill level and one of each pair by top opening; the ground floor an alternating composition of three bays fully glazed with French windows to left, the other windows with sill rail; the other bays identical with upper floors. Tile hanging between each storey. Brick end walls have one square window towards centre on each floor. Entrance with original sign and numbering. Impressive staircase hall with paved ground floor, grey terrazzo stairs and landings. Steel blustrades with timber panels. The interiors of the flats originally with timber floors but have not been inspected.

The tall blocks at Parkleys are interesting as Lyons's most convincing compositions in the 'contemporary' style. Eric Lyons and Geoffrey Townsend met in the late 1930s and renewed their partnership after wartime service. They developed a number of select private developments in the south-west London and north Surrey borders, until in 1954 Townsend set himself up as a developer and was forced to give up his RIBA membership. This is their first mature work, and their first as Span Developments Ltd. It is on the site of a nursery, and the blocks of flats were carefully laid out so that existing trees were kept, and the nursery stock and its gardener were taken over as part of the development. It is laid out as a series of cul-de-sacs and pedestrian squares, with the taller blocks like Herrick Court set out as distinctive 'points' in this grid of lower ranges. The combination of two- and three-storey blocks is distinctive to Parkleys, while that of brick and tile hanging was repeated subsequently in Span works, particularly at Blackheath. The mixture of traditional tile hanging with jazzy concrete panels is distinctive. Parkleys was developed at a relatively high density for first-time buyers, and Span was one of the first companies to promote the endowment mortgage. It is also the first example of the system of residents' management companies set up by Span which has kept many of their developments in such exceptional condition. Each leaseholder contributes to the funding of paid maintenance staff, and is a member of the management company that runs the estate. Eric Lyons was admired for 'bridging the gap' between speculative work and the creativity many architects of his generation only found in the public sector. 'Twenty years ago he would have been regarded as barely respectable, today he is important. He may even come to be looked back upon as a key figure (Architectural Review, February 1959). The opportunity to work in such a close partnership with a sympathetic developer enabled Lyons to pursue his own ideas in materials, layout and design. Yet the blocks had to be simple, for 'the architect has to design and organise so that building can be produced at the same cost as a builder's scheme providing the same accommodation' (Architects' Journal, 20 January 1955, p.72).

Listing NGR: TQ1788971670

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26302957

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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