Due to popular demand we are delighted to offer this new paperback edition of Eric Lyons and Span. Lavishly illustrated and deeply researched, this book celebrates the work of the architect Eric Lyons OBE (1912-1980), whose famous post-war housing - that today would be marketed as 'lifestyle housing' - is as well loved today as it was vibrantly successful when first constructed. Built almost entirely for Span Developments, its mission was to provide an affordable environment "that gave people a lift". Influenced by Walter Gropius, Lyons brought a commitment to high density housing and the idea of fostering community into his Span work without compromising his intuitive sensitivity for landscape. His success brought the practice an impressive array of awards and led to a term as President of the RIBA. The enduring success of his design philosophy can be traced forward to 2005, when Span received a special Housing Design Award given to schemes that meet the current Sustainable Communities Plan. Indeed, the concept of Span mirrors current best practice thinking in housing design and continues to offer a fresh, relevant challenge to volume housebuilders in Britain today. This book serves as a lively reminder of that fact. Written by distinguished historians, practitioners and Span enthusiasts, the book has been researched using the archive compiled by Ivor Cunningham, one of Lyons ex-partners while a detailed gazetteer contains scale plan drawings of many of Spans housing templates.

After a foreword by John Brookes himself and a brief introduction, "The Story of John Brookes" reveals all the influences that have come to bear on John's work plotting the major stages of his career. The chapter plots his growth as a garden designer, from his apprenticeship with the Nottingham Corporation Parks Department in 1954, through his work with Brenda Colvin and Sylvia Crowe in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and his setting up of his own garden and landscape design practice. His first successes in London town gardens in the 1960s are charted, as well as his key designs and educational achievements around the globe throughout his career, right up to his current position as the doyen of contemporary garden designers. The second chapter provides a fascinating insight into John Brookes' garden and landscape design work, by analysing 18 of his most significant designs and their execution. Written after extensive research, Barbara Simms summarises the history of each commission, the challenges John Brookes faced, and describes his design approach in meeting the brief. Some of John's original design sketches are reproduced and contemporary and recent photographs capture the development of each garden.