Span apartment at Parkleys development, Richmond upon Thames, Surrey
This Span apartment at Parkleys development, Richmond upon Thames, Surrey, is a thing of beauty and is now on the market.
The Parkleys development is not just a thing of beauty; it is also a thing of importance. Parkleys was the first Span development, designed by Eric Lyons in the mid-1950s and constructed between 1955 and 1956.
Its significance means it has grade II-listed status. This is where the journey began. I have featured several Span houses and developments over the years, but Parkleys, with its 1950s modernist charm, has its own added importance.
Apartment blocks rarely survive unscathed over the decades, but Parkleys has largely done that, no doubt helped by its location in a Richmond Borough Conservation Area. So, although the apartments are open to the owners’ tastes, the block and the setting remain faithful to Eric Lyons’ vision. That’s the big pull here.
Large windows (with original frames), the tile-clad frontage, and that well-preserved communal area are absolute pictures. There is also a communal garden to enjoy from your window. I hope the images convey how cool the block actually is. If not, go book a viewing.
However, let’s not talk down the interiors—far from it. The current owners have done a wonderful job maintaining the original details inside while keeping the apartment relevant in the 21st century. The end result is stylish, retro, and very liveable.
This apartment is in Byron Court, and access is via a courtyard garden and stairs up to the first-floor landing. There are doors off to a drying room shared with the other three flats on this floor, and also a private drying cupboard near the flat entrance. This also currently houses the washing machine and a Vaillant ecoTEC condensing combi boiler, which provides central heating and hot water in the flat.
The flat maintains that original midcentury feel, helped along by some of the original details still being present. The entrance hall to the flat has an original wall bookshelf, as featured in the 1950s brochure for the Span properties. The Parkleys flats originally had one such shelf which is in the reception room of this flat, but the current owners have also acquired another which is in the hall and which will be left for the new owners.
The kitchen also has the original teak wooden drainer and Leisure sink unit with matching period cupboards and drawers under, and other matching fitted cupboards in the kitchen. A radiator and a glass panel divide the kitchen and the lounge, which makes for a bright and sunny feel throughout the main living area.
The reception and main bedroom both have room-width windows with great front views across Spencer Court, its front courtyard garden, and its rear lawns. Both rooms retain their original window boxes, too.
The original reeded glass door from the lounge into the inner lobby has also been updated with safety glass but retains the original frame and style. The lobby has storage cupboards and doors to the bedrooms and bathroom. Bedroom one has double doors to built-in wardrobe cupboards, and bedroom two has windows at the rear and side. The bathroom has a corner shower.
As I mentioned, communal grounds are also present, with extensive, well-tended gardens and a gate leading to Ham Farm Road, which leads left to Ham Common or right to Ham Common Woods up to Richmond Park. So, it’s a great setting.
Always a popular option, this one is just on the market for £465,000.
Images and details courtesy of Mervyn Smith. For more details and to make an enquiry, please visit the website.
