2 Willow Road, Hampstead, London
Architect
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Erno Goldfinger
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Date Built
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1939
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Location
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Willow Road,
Hampstead
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Description
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This modernist residential building, designed by
the architect Erno Goldfinger, was originally
intended to be a four-dwelling terrace until
Goldfinger decided to incorporate the middlle
two into one as his family home. Number 1
was rented to provide the Goldfinger with an
on-going income and number 3 was sold.
It will probably come as no surprise that in
this part of London the idea of demolishing a
cluster of cottages to build a modernist
building out of reinforced concrete was strongly
opposed. Apparently, among the local
residents who were speaking out against
Goldfinger's plan was Ian Fleming so, once
again, it may come as no surprise that Fleming
named one of his Bond villains Auric
Goldfinger. However, despite the protests,
Goldfinger's design was eventually
approved.
The building has 3 storeys on the Willow Road
side but 4 at the rear looking out onto the
garden. The reinforced concrete frame of
the building provided support while leaving the
inside of the building relatively open and
spacious. Goldfinger's design cleverly maximizes
the use of space incorporating a remarkable
amount of storage and using a spiral staircase
for access to the upper floors. He also
designed a lot of the furniture. The
family's friends in the area included many
prominent artists and the house was, and still
is, decorated by the works of Marcel Duchamp,
Max Ernst, Henry Moore and Bridget Riley
Erno died in 1987 but his wife Ursula lived on
in the house until 1994. A house that
local residents didn't want built was later
handed to the National Trust, along with its
contents, by the son of one of its most
vociferous opponents. Then controversy
rained again, this time on the Trust, for adding
a modernist, concrete, building to its
collection.
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