Trellick Tower

Trellick Tower is a Brutalist icon, visible from afar in West London. Designed by Arno Goldfinger, it was built in the late sixties and early seventies, and today its apartments are highly sought after.

As well as being a short walk from where I live, I have another personal connection with the tower. A relative of mine worked for Goldfinger in the sixties, although he found him quite difficult to work with, and eventually left to work on the new, modernist town of Cumbernauld in Scotland.

When Goldfinger built his modernist home in Hampstead (Willow Road) Ian Fleming was his neighbour, and, being something of a NIMBY, did not want this monstrous carbuncle anywhere near his back yard. Incensed by his plans, he made him the villain in his new book... although there is absolutely no evidence to back this story up! There was a court case, because Arno Goldfinger did not want to be associated with such a villain, but he was quite content with the author adding a note into the book that all the characters were fictional and bore no resemblance to real persons.