This superb three-bedroom Span House on the private Cator Estate in Blackheath is the largest and rarest of all Span Housing. Built in 1964, the T15 design is largest of all Span Housing types. Representing a pinnacle of modernist mass housing, T15s typically benefit from features such as generously proportioned staircases lit from a skylight above. This particular example on Brooklands Park has been updated to a very high standard by the current owners with features such as recently installed double glazing, indistinguishable from the original. The home has planning approved for a rear extension.

The Architect

Architect Eric Lyons collaborated closely with Span Developments in the 1950s and ’60s to bring the concept of international modernism to the masses. Lyons began his career working under Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius and fused the fundamental concepts of Gropius and Le Corbusier with the British vernacular to create efficient, bright, practical homes with an inherent focus on creating strong communities. As such, although Span Housing is plentiful in the area, it comes to the market infrequently – especially T15 homes.

The Tour

A mature front garden leads from Brooklands Park to the ground floor entrance. Entry is to a vestibule with a large original fitted wardrobe for outdoor clothing. The vestibule duly leads to the living/dining room with curtain glazing at the front and rear elevations, and tropical hardwood parquet flooring. To the left is the kitchen with stainless steel work surfaces; architecturally designed, the utmost care has been taken to ensure the kitchen is in keeping with Lyons’ concept and aesthetics. To the rear is an office with a bookshelf cleverly mounted on the original sliding partition.

Ascent to the first floor leads to a large central landing, bathed in light from a lightwell above and with extensive storage above the stairs. The bathroom, separate WC and three bedrooms radiate off the central landing. The recently fitted bathroom has a separate shower and bath and has been decorated in a neutral palette and fitted with contemporary hardware. This contrasts with the sunflower-yellow tiled feature wall, which riffs on the flashes of colour used by Lyons in other Span projects.

All three of the bedrooms have attractive leafy views and benefit from dramatic pitched ceilings. The double bedroom at the rear has views of the garden. The front bedrooms (one double and one single) look out onto the foliage of Brooklands Park, a quiet private road within the renowned Cator Estate. Under the current ownership, the roof has been replaced in aluminium, with extensive upgrades to the insulation made during this process. The house also benefits from a single garage en-bloc.

Outdoor Space

The east-facing garden extends over 35 ft and retains the Lyons-designed asymmetric concrete garden shed. The garden is not overlooked and, due to the space around it, benefits from good light throughout the day.

The Area

The Cator Estate is made up of 282 acres of private roads and features architectural jewels from all ages; from classical villas built at its inception in the late Georgian period, to the modernism of Lyons’s Span Housing. Graham Morrison of Allies & Morrison Architects, who bought a Span House in the early 1980s, describes 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.”

Blackheath Village is under a ten-minute walk from Brooklands Park and is renowned for its community spirit, a plethora of thriving independent shops and eateries and its much-loved weekly farmers’ market. The house is a five-minute walk to Brooklands Primary School, one of the best primary schools in the Borough of Greenwich and OFSTED-rated “outstanding”.

Blackheath mainline railway station is approximately a seven-minute walk away, and is one stop from the Docklands Light Railway for easy access to both the Docklands and the City. Trains from Blackheath to London Bridge take approximately 10 minutes, approximately 25 minutes to Victoria, approximately 22 minutes to Charing Cross and Cannon Street in approximately  20 minutes.

Tenure: Freehold
Service Charge: £120 per month (includes maintenance of communal gardens and grounds)

Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. The Modern House has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.