Ana Sutherland, local architect and member of the Blackheath Society will lead two tours, morning and afternoon, of the Span Houses of the Cator estate as part of the Open House Neighbourhood Festival. The first tour will be from 10.00 am to 12.00 and Ana will repeat the walk from 3.00 to 5.00pm.

Most of the buildings on the walk faced major opposition when first built. Today, as modern architecture is celebrated and more widely recognised, they form a unique group of architectural treasures that contribute to the rich historic fabric of this area of Blackheath.

The walk features buildings from the mid-1950s to the 1980s, by a number of architects including four who were particularly prolific in the area: Eric Lyons, Patrick Gwynne, Peter Moro and Walter Greaves. We will cover both developer-led housing - Span estates - and bespoke houses, as well as one public building, St Michael’s Church Hall. 

We are very fortunate that we will be able to visit the inside of two or three of the Span houses during the walk. Ana’s book, Tradition of Change, Modern Buildings in Blackheath and Greenwich 1950-2000 will be published later in 2023.  

Please book you place for one of these interesting walks through the Open House website.