The London Traveler

Don’t get too excited. This is nothing at all to do with James Bond.

The Goldfinger in question was leading modernist architect Arno Goldfinger, who built this as his own house in 1939. Look at the horrid half-timber semis being built at the same date all over North London, and you can see just how revolutionary this was.

Look at the wonderful use of light – one huge window on the first floor, creating a well lit, open plan space, with small windows on the floor above for bedrooms.  (In fact if you look carefully you can see this is a terrace of three houses, but the horizontal emphasis of that big window disguises it rather well and makes the whole terrace look so much grander than three separate houses ever could have.)

The Goldfinger house is a work of incredible purity with its rationalism and straight lines. It feels quite cool to me, with its smooth surfaces – plywood, paint, parquet floors. But it’s spacious and airy, too – nothing cramped or fiddly.

The house itself is a work of great architectural value, but that’s not all you’ll see. Goldfinger also collected the art of his day and you’ll see pieces by artists such as Henry Moore and Max Ernst. So what’s preserved here isn’t just a fine modernist house, but an entire modernist lifestyle – even the books on the shelves.

Now I did say this had all got nothin to do with James Bond. But apparently, when Goldfinger applied for planning permission, not all the local residents were happy. One in particular objected to the demolition of the old cottages that originally occupied this site. His name was Ian Fleming…. and he gave Erno Goldfinger’s name to his next villain.
Where: 2 Willow Road,  Hampstead

When: guided tours at 11, 12, 1 and 2 on Saturdays, and open viewing from 3-5

How much: £5.10

Photo credit by Steve Cadman on Flickr 

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