1-12, LAMMAS GREEN

A block of twelve flats built between 1955 and 1957 by Donald McMorran of Farquharson and McMorran, with Peter Nuttall as assistant, for the Corporation of the City of London. The building is constructed from hand-made Essex bricks, with weatherboarded gables and pantiled roofs. It is three storeys high, following the steep slope of the ground, and contains one and two-bedroom flats arranged in mirrored pairs, accessed by two staircases – the larger flats located centrally within the block.

The design is symmetrical, featuring living rooms at the front of the building with square sash windows containing small panes of glass. Smaller windows are present in the staircase and bathroom areas, and are set under moulded heads with incised voussoirs. These large windows are repeated on the side and rear elevations. Staircase halls are entered through arched openings. Four tall stacks rise through a roof set back behind high parapets.

Donald McMorran is considered a significant architect of the 1950s for his traditional style, combined with willingness to design public housing. His work is comparable to Giles Scott's, rather than architects focused on private residences, and was influenced by Vincent Harris, for whom he worked earlier in his career. This is the smallest and most refined of four housing schemes commissioned from McMorran, two being for the City Corporation. The terraces arranged around a village green, with views of the North Downs, are complemented by the flats that act as a visual buffer to the road. The density is 57 dwellings per acre, intentionally reduced from the maximum allowed to foster a strong community. The contrast between the flats, notable for their fine brickwork and traditional proportions, and the colourwashed cottages, is considered particularly striking.