HISTORY

Span was a development company, formally founded in 1957 by architect and businessman Geoffrey Townsend, Ernst Haynes and builder-developer Leslie Bilsby, with Eric Lyons as the lead-consultant architect.

The name Span was chosen because it sounded contemporary and also referred to the aim of spanning ‘the gap between the suburban monotony of the typical speculative development and the architecturally designed, individually built residence.’ Span specialised in housing for the middle classes and, before ceasing operation in 1984, created 73 schemes in southern England, comprising of more than 2,000 dwellings.

In Blackheath Span’s modern homes added to the rich architectural character of the area. From 1954 to 1984 Span built 21 developments here, with 176 flats and 307 houses. In 1964, Ian Nairn writing about the estates in his guide ‘Modern Buildings in London’ asserted that ‘If Eric Lyons is the modern Nash, then this is his Regent’s Park’.

Span’s guiding principles were:
- Dynamic spatial site arrangements
- Imaginative house layouts, systematically repeated and adapted (Type T2, T2A, T2AX, etc)
- Generous communal landscape, of equal importance to the buildings
- Design for both privacy and social opportunity, blurring the private and public realms
- Landscaped spaces to encourage informal play, as opposed to formal play areas
- A strong positive identity of place, with a sense of seclusion, tranquillity and safety
- Introverted schemes, prioritising people over vehicles
- Community self-management by residents’ committees

‘The aim is to create an overall unity that avoids regimentation, provides a sense of freshness, enhances rather than eradicates the natural features of the site; that ensures that estates look mature from the outset and retain an informal, intrinsic dignity that will still communicate itself fifty years from now’ (extract ‘Living with new ideas’ Span brochure, mid 1960s).