90-101, BROMLEY ROAD

Nos. 90-101 Bromley Road is a block of twelve flats constructed between 1949 and 1950 by Fry, Drew and Partners, with J B Shaw acting as job architect, for the Lewisham Metropolitan Borough. Ove Arup and Partners were the engineers involved in the project. The building is built with a solid brick wall construction using sand-lime bricks, with concrete floor slabs, and has flat roofs with projecting eaves. The design provides two- and three-bedroom flats, along with ground-floor stores and a refuse room at the foot of each of the two staircases. It is three storeys high. The block's symmetrical design is set side-on to Bromley Road to lessen the impact of traffic noise. The upper flats feature projecting concrete balconies with metal balustrades. Original steel windows with opening casements remain, set within concrete sills and lintels, representing a key original feature. The return windows at the ends of the block are similar in style but are incorporated within continuous moulded surrounds. Internally, some picture rails and many original doors have been preserved. This development represents a significant post-war public housing initiative by Maxwell Fry, known for his earlier work in low-cost housing. The carefully considered site planning maximizes open space, light, and sunshine while minimizing noise pollution. The scheme received a Festival of Britain Merit Award in 1951. Nikolaus Pevsner noted the “greater diversity of small motifs” as distinguishing it from Fry's earlier designs, considering it "one of the most interesting recent groups of flats in London," a quality amplified by the building's excellent state of preservation and landscaping. The four blocks create a harmonious group.