House For Sale £875,000
This wonderful four-bedroom Span house lies within the Cator Estate in Blackheath. The house has been subject to an extensive renovation in recent years, including a considerable remodelling of the kitchen, dining room and downstairs bathroom by architectural firm Simpson & Brown. There is a sunny private garden at the rear, as well as beautifully manicured communal gardens that surround the estate. This house is one of only four homes on the estate that has an extension and is therefore considerably larger than the surrounding homes.
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; he then went on to fuse the fundamental concepts of Gropius and Le Corbusier with the British vernacular to create efficient, bright, practical homes with the aim of forming strong communities within them. As such, although Span Housing is plentiful in the area, it comes to the market infrequently. For more information on Span, please see the History section below.
The Building
The Plantation is considered one of the most attractive of Span’s 1960s development. The estate is composed of 34 Type T7 and T8 houses, spread among superb landscaped gardens and set back from the no-through-access road. As with all of Lyons’s Span developments, the houses on The Plantation have been designed to maximise the qualities of light and space and to enhance the relationship between the buildings and the surrounding landscape. Lyons took care to design and build houses around the existing mature trees (supplemented with new planting), creating communal areas that encourage residents to mix.
The Tour
The ground floor entrance opens to a separate lobby. Next to the entrance is a bedroom with plenty of shelving space, which is currently used as a study. There is also a recently modernised shower room with plywood accents and white subway tiles.
The lobby leads in turn to a beautifully bright and spacious open-plan living/dining area. Original five finger parquet runs underfoot throughout this floor, with reclaimed five finger parquet in the dining room; this is complemented by bespoke plywood storage interventions that are wonderfully in keeping with the home’s mid-century aesthetic. The living spaces flow seamlessly into a sleek contemporary kitchen with clean lines and minimalist white cabinetry. A wall of glazing at the back of the plan, typical of Span design, looks out over a sunny, southwest-facing patio.
Three double bedrooms and a good-sized family bathroom can be found upstairs, all of which look out over the beautiful gardens of the estate beyond. The house is immaculate throughout and flooded with natural light.
Outdoor Space
A secluded private garden with a built-in seating area and beautifully planted borders is positioned at the rear of the plan. From the garden, there is access to a separate garage that has electricity and plumbing capabilities. There is also a lovely front lawn.
The house has access to the immaculately kept communal gardens that surround The Plantation. There is also a children’s play area for the exclusive use of residents.
The Area
Blackheath Village is only a 15-minute walk from The Plantation and is renowned for its community spirit, the plethora of thriving independent shops and eateries and its much-loved weekly farmers’ market. The house is a short walk to Brooklands Primary School, one of the best primary schools in the Borough of Greenwich and ofsted-rated “outstanding”. There are several other excellent schools in the area, including John Ball Primary School, Blackheath High School gdst, Blackheath Prep, Heath House and Pointers.
Blackheath mainline railway station is approximately a 15-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 take approximately 10 minutes to London Bridge, approximately 25 minutes to Victoria, approximately 22 minutes to Charing Cross and approximately 20 minutes to Cannon Street.
Tenure: Freehold
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; he then went on to fuse the fundamental concepts of Gropius and Le Corbusier with the British vernacular to create efficient, bright, practical homes with the aim of forming strong communities within them. As such, although Span Housing is plentiful in the area, it comes to the market infrequently. For more information on Span, please see the History section below.
The Building
The Plantation is considered one of the most attractive of Span’s 1960s development. The estate is composed of 34 Type T7 and T8 houses, spread among superb landscaped gardens and set back from the no-through-access road. As with all of Lyons’s Span developments, the houses on The Plantation have been designed to maximise the qualities of light and space and to enhance the relationship between the buildings and the surrounding landscape. Lyons took care to design and build houses around the existing mature trees (supplemented with new planting), creating communal areas that encourage residents to mix.
The Tour
The ground floor entrance opens to a separate lobby. Next to the entrance is a bedroom with plenty of shelving space, which is currently used as a study. There is also a recently modernised shower room with plywood accents and white subway tiles.
The lobby leads in turn to a beautifully bright and spacious open-plan living/dining area. Original five finger parquet runs underfoot throughout this floor, with reclaimed five finger parquet in the dining room; this is complemented by bespoke plywood storage interventions that are wonderfully in keeping with the home’s mid-century aesthetic. The living spaces flow seamlessly into a sleek contemporary kitchen with clean lines and minimalist white cabinetry. A wall of glazing at the back of the plan, typical of Span design, looks out over a sunny, southwest-facing patio.
Three double bedrooms and a good-sized family bathroom can be found upstairs, all of which look out over the beautiful gardens of the estate beyond. The house is immaculate throughout and flooded with natural light.
Outdoor Space
A secluded private garden with a built-in seating area and beautifully planted borders is positioned at the rear of the plan. From the garden, there is access to a separate garage that has electricity and plumbing capabilities. There is also a lovely front lawn.
The house has access to the immaculately kept communal gardens that surround The Plantation. There is also a children’s play area for the exclusive use of residents.
The Area
Blackheath Village is only a 15-minute walk from The Plantation and is renowned for its community spirit, the plethora of thriving independent shops and eateries and its much-loved weekly farmers’ market. The house is a short walk to Brooklands Primary School, one of the best primary schools in the Borough of Greenwich and ofsted-rated “outstanding”. There are several other excellent schools in the area, including John Ball Primary School, Blackheath High School gdst, Blackheath Prep, Heath House and Pointers.
Blackheath mainline railway station is approximately a 15-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 take approximately 10 minutes to London Bridge, approximately 25 minutes to Victoria, approximately 22 minutes to Charing Cross and approximately 20 minutes to Cannon Street.
Tenure: Freehold
