9-16 Dryden Court

Two blocks, each of four flats, linked at corners. Built in 1954–5 by Eric Lyons for Bargood Estates Ltd, subsequently Span Developments Ltd. Geoffrey Paulson Townsend was developer, G Scoble was project architect, and Wates were the builders.

The structure comprises brick cross- and partition walls, concrete Eternit block, and tile hanging, with a flat felted roof. Each block is rectangular with a central entrance-way and stairs, set in L-formation. The main facades have five bays divided by brick strips, with full-width timber windows of three square panes per bay, some with top-opening casements. Storeys are divided by tile hanging. The entrance facade to Nos. 9–12 features a boarded timber screen to the left of the entrance, divided by a horizontal panel incorporating the flat numbers. The bays either side have two deeper windows divided at sill level, with window boxes; blind lights appear at the right of the end bays. The rear facade has an entrance way to the ground floor, with a vertical staircase window of two panes serving the first floor and louvres to both storeys. Other bays are arranged in mirrored composition around the centre, with the innermost window blind, then two windows in tripartite composition with central top-opening casement; blind lights occupy the centre of end bays. Nos. 13–16 are identical except the entrance is from the rear facade. Staircases have steel balustrades incorporating timber panels to the first flight and first-floor landing. Stores to Nos. 9–12 have blue-glazed doors, while Nos. 13–16 have green doors; both feature stairs of red-brown terrazzo. Flat interiors originally had timber floors and sliding partitions to some living rooms, though these have not been inspected.

Dryden Court forms the entrance to the influential Parkleys Estate, the first and largest of Eric Lyons's works for Span. Lyons and Geoffrey Townsend met in the late 1930s and renewed their partnership after wartime service, developing select private schemes in south-west London and the Surrey borders until 1954, when Townsend established himself as a developer and was forced to relinquish his RIBA membership. This was their first mature work together and their first as Span Developments Ltd. The site was formerly a nursery; the blocks were carefully laid out to retain existing trees, and the nursery stock and its gardener were taken over as part of the development. The estate is laid out as a series of cul-de-sacs with blocks set in quadrangles. Dryden Court is unique in having its courtyard pierced by the spine road, dividing the development into two halves. The combination of two- and three-storey blocks is distinctive to Parkleys, as is the pairing of brick and tile hanging, repeated subsequently in Span works, particularly at Blackheath. This use of traditional materials in a modern manner created a particularly humane environment much admired at the time.

Lyons's squares and terraces represented a modern vernacular response to the Georgian tradition of central London, set within lush suburban landscaping but at relatively high densities—about eighty persons per acre—frequently causing disputes with planning authorities. Parkleys was developed for first-time buyers, and Span was among the first companies to promote the endowment mortgage. It was also the first example of the residents' management company system set up by Span, which has kept many of their developments in exceptional condition. Each leaseholder contributes to funding paid maintenance staff and is a member of the management company running the estate. Lyons was admired for "bridging the gap" between speculative work and the creativity many architects of his generation found only in the public sector. The partnership with Townsend, a sympathetic developer, enabled Lyons to pursue his own ideas in materials, layout, and design, whilst ensuring buildings could be produced at the same cost as a conventional builder's scheme providing equivalent accommodation.