A chance to snoop round Ernö Goldfinger’s iconic Balfron Tower flat

Next month, the organisation is opening up Flat 130 in Ernö Goldfinger’s Brutalist Balfron Tower – where the architect himself lived for a fortnight back in 1968 with the aim of showing people just how great it is to live in the high-rise building he designed.

For the public opening, Wayne and Tilly Hemingway were enlisted to deck out the space in the style of a 1968 council flat.

As such, it’s all eye-poppingly bright colours and patterns, with some stunning furniture and homeware on show. There’s even a picture of The Beatles gazing down over an imagined fan’s bedroom, complete with bedcover bedecked with the faces of the Fab Four.

From the images we’ve seen, it’s almost like a film-set, with the table laid ready for the visitors to star in their own little imaginary 1960s movie.

Designed by Goldfinger in 1963, the 27-storey high Poplar building is seen as the less-famous ‘sister’ to west London’s Trellick Tower; and both were built as somewhat idealistic solutions to post World War II housing shortages.

The National Trust says: “Balfron Tower, along with Trellick Tower, is a testament to a particular moment in time when a vision of a utopian post-war Britain coincided with Brutalism ­ an architectural movement that indelibly changed the landscape of our urban environment. 

“The National Trust already cares for Goldfinger’s own home in Hampstead, 2 Willow Road, so Balfron Tower is the logical choice for the Trust’s first foray into Brutalism.” 

A number of events have been taking place at the Tower recently, including a printing workshop with Leonie Lachlan.

We popped down to the Open Studio’s weekend a few weeks ago – have a look at what we found here.

Flat 130 Balfron Tower is open from 1 – 12 October at Balfron Tower, Poplar,   London E14 0QT