1-6 Milton Court

Block of six flats at Milton Court, built 1954-5 by architect Eric Lyons for Bargood Estates Ltd, subsequently operating as Span Developments Ltd. Geoffrey Paulson Townsend was the developer, G Scoble the project architect, and Wates the builders.

The building is constructed with brick cross- and partition walls, concrete, Eternit block and tile hanging. It has a flat felted roof with three brick stacks and rises to two storeys. The design takes the form of a rectangular block of nine bays, divided by projecting exposed crosswalls. Entrances are located in the northernmost bay and in the third bay from the south.

The main facades feature full-width windows of three square panes to each bay. Some windows have top-opening casements while others have blind green infill panels. The road facade incorporates timber screens to the entrances, divided by horizontal panels. Adjacent bays contain two deeper windows divided at sill level with window boxes to each storey. The rear, east-facing facade has an entrance way to the ground floor, a two-light staircase window to the first floor, and louvres to both storeys. Other bays feature a blind window and two windows in tripartite composition with a central top-opening casement; some bays have a blind central light instead.

The ground floor and landing are paved with red-brown terrazzo stairs. Steel balustrades with timber panels run to the first flight and first-floor landing. Large house numbers are displayed to the side of doors. Flats numbered 1-2 have green glass store doors, while flats 3-6 have blue. The interiors have wooden floors and some contain sliding partitions within living rooms, though interiors have not been fully inspected.

The building stands on the site of a former nursery. The development was carefully planned to preserve existing trees, and the nursery stock and garden were incorporated into the overall scheme. Parkleys was laid out as a series of cul-de-sacs with blocks arranged as squares or terraces. The combination of two- and three-storey blocks is distinctive to Parkleys, while the use of brick and tile hanging was repeated in later Span works, particularly at Blackheath. The mixture of traditional materials used in a modern manner was much admired for creating a particularly humane environment.

The development was designed for first-time buyers and Span was one of the first companies to promote the endowment mortgage. Parkleys was also the first example of the residents' management company system established by Span, which has kept their developments in exceptional condition. Each leaseholder contributes to the funding of paid maintenance staff and is a member of the management company that runs the estate.

Eric Lyons and Geoffrey Paulson Townsend met in the late 1930s and renewed their partnership after war service, developing small private schemes on the south west London and north Surrey borders. In 1954 Townsend established himself as a developer and was forced to give up his RIBA membership. This project represents their first mature work and their first as Span Developments Ltd.

Lyons was widely admired for bridging the gap between speculative work and the creativity his generation of architects typically pursued only in the public sector. The architect had to design buildings that could be produced at the same cost as a standard builder's scheme providing equivalent accommodation. Parkleys was the first, largest, and probably the most influential of all Span's developments. Lyons's squares and terraces offered a modern vernacular response to the Georgian tradition of central London, set within lush suburban landscaping but at relatively high densities of about 80 persons per acre, which frequently brought Span into dispute with planning authorities.