Holme Chase History
A 60 Year-Old Community
1919
Bauhaus
The Bauhaus building in Dessau
Designed by Walter Gropius
The Roots: The Bauhaus Influence
The story begins with the Bauhaus movement in 1920s Germany and the founding of the Bauhaus School in April, 1919. This school of thought championed the idea that high-quality, functional design should be accessible to everyone. It emphasised clean lines, industrial materials, and a ‘form follows function’ philosophy. These principles would eventually travel to Britain, deeply influencing a young Eric Lyons and providing the DNA for Span’s modernist approach. Lyons would even work for Bauhaus founder, Walter Gropius for a short period in 1936-7.
1954
Birth of Span
Span Developments office (left), 1955
At Ham Parade, the site of the first Span Development
The Birth of Span
Having met as students in the 1930s, Eric Lyons and Geoffrey Townsend formed a partnership to revolutionise British housing by ‘spanning’ the gap between dull speculative builds and high-end architecture. Frustrated by the era’s obsession with ‘fake historical’ designs, they sought to create modern, communal clusters that prioritised shared green space over suburban sprawl. Because RIBA (The Royal Institute of British Architects) rules then forbade architects from being developers, Townsend resigned his membership to found the development company (later Span) himself, allowing Lyons to focus on the architectural vision. By 1954, the partnership was in full swing.
Photo credit: CON_B04283_F006_001-pres.jpg (cropped image) – The Conway Library digitised by The Courtauld Libraries Digitisation Project
1964
Construction Starts
Holme Chase Plans
Works were 'threaded' around mature trees
Breaking Ground in Weybridge
Weybridge is the home of several estates which were the product of the celebrated collaboration between architects Eric Lyons and Ivor Cunningham and the developer Span.
Construction of Holme Chase started in 1964. The estate was built on the site of two old houses – the eponymous Holme Chase and Orchard Syde. Along with nearby Brackley, Castle Green, Templemere and Weymede, it was built to offer attractive, accessible and modern housing in carefully designed landscape.
1966
Completion
Holme Chase, 1964
From the Green
Residents Take Responsibility
Construction of Holme Chase is completed in 1966. Each original purchaser bought a 99 year lease of the house and private rear garden and usually the garage.
Ownership of the rest of the estate – referred to as the grounds – resided with the landlord. The properties were – and remain – for resident owners, who were to manage the estate through an elected committee of the Residents Society. Each purchaser was required to become a member of the society through the purchase of a £15 share.
Purchasers were not to make changes to the external appearance of the buildings or grounds without the permission of the landlord. As is the case today, the Society was responsible for looking after the grounds, window cleaning and exterior painting to ensure a high standard of maintenance and appearance across the estate.
Holme Chase, 1966
From Edgerton Rd
1967
Leasehold Reform
Lord Harold Wilson
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1967
Leasehold to Freehold
In 1967 leasehold reform gave leaseholders the right to buy the freehold on their home, which over time everyone did. As part of this process, the landlord transferred the grounds to the Society which now manages their appearance and collective amenity.
The homes were highly popular with young professionals, some of whom moved on to the estate in the 1960s and remain here today. They have been joined by families of all ages who continue to enjoy the peaceful setting, beautiful grounds and sense of community.
Photo credit: Harold Wilson (cropped image) – Allan Warren on commons.wikimedia.org
1969
Span on BBC
'The More We Are Together', BBC Omnibus
4 May 1969
Span on BBC
The highly influential and sometimes controversial work of Lyons and Span is featured in an excellent 1969 edition of the BBC Omnibus programme, in which Lyons rails against the ‘four houses an acre’ conservatism typical of Surrey suburbia.
Holme Chase features in the Surrey volume of Pevsner’s The Buildings of England. Critic Ian Nairn, who wrote much of that volume, describes ‘exclusive small estates built recently in older gardens, the best by Eric Lyons of Span’. He describes Holme Chase as having ‘cottagey terraces, again of yellow brick, with much stepping back and monopitch and butterfly roofs of different heights’.
2025
6oth Birthday!
60th Birthday Party Title
60th Birthday Party Caption
Holme Chase turns 60
In 2025, residents gathered once again on the communal green for the annual summer BBQ. While the smoky aroma of the grill and the sound of neighborhood laughter are seasonal staples, this year’s festivities carried a unique significance. The event served as a landmark celebration for the community, marking exactly 60 years since the estate was first established. This diamond anniversary transformed the casual afternoon into a heartfelt tribute to six decades of shared history and local spirit.
