2 Willow Road in Hampstead, London, designed by Erno Goldfiner in 1939, is the first modernist building acquired by the National Trust. It serves as a museum of Goldfinger’s art collection and innovative designs. The building sparked outrage during its construction, inspiring James Bond novelist Ian Fleming to name a villain after Goldfinger. The building is a terrace consisting of three buildings, with movable walls and folding doors, and a wide spiral staircase. The museum is available for scheduled visits or group tours during the day, with a visitor fee.
The 2 Willow Road building in Hampstead, London was designed by Erno Goldfiner in 1939 and is the first modernist building acquired by the National Trust. It was originally intended as a home for Goldfinger and his family, as well as an innovative way for the architect to explore their creative outlets at home. The location now serves as a museum containing Goldfinger’s extensive art collection as well as his innovative designs and furnishings.
Initial plans began in 1936, but Goldfinger met opposition from London County Council and locals which sparked outrage in the national press. Famed James Bond novelist Ian Fleming objected to the building’s construction, so much so that some believe this inspired him to name Auric Goldfinger, a James Bond villain, after Erno Goldfinger. Eventually, 2 Willow Road became a terrace consisting of three buildings. The construction contract was awarded to Leslie Bilsby, who built it in concrete and faced it with brick. Intended to be flexible and functional, a wide and elegant spiral staircase allows the building to save internal space. With movable walls and folding doors, the building can be transformed into a studio as well as offering borders for a living room and dining room.
The Goldfinger family moved into 2 Willow Road soon after its construction was completed. Goldfinger’s wife, Ursula Blackwell, was an artist at the time and had the nursery built for her two children with interchangeable partitions to create individual rooms. Meals were prepared in a ground floor kitchenette and placed in a dumbwaiter attached to all three buildings. The building became a sanctuary for visiting artists, who in return left their work to Goldfinger. Later in life, Goldfinger’s mother moved into the nursery, while his two children, then adults, lived at different times in an apartment created on the ground floor. The Goldfingers continued to live in the house until their deaths.
Although facilities are limited, the museum is available for scheduled visits or for group tours during the day. There is a visitor fee. Tourists can see Goldfinger’s extensive art collection, featuring works by famous artists such as Bridget Riley, Sir Roland Penrose, and Max Ernst. The museum’s huge windows overlook Hampstead Heath, which gives the appearance of a countryside setting in the middle of the city. Wheelchair accessibility is located on the ground floor but is not available throughout the building. Wheelchair users can watch a film that takes them on a virtual tour of 2 Willow Road. Local guided tours are offered, which also include stops at many restaurants, cafes and pubs in Hampstead village.
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