Amelia’s Magazine | Brutalist dreams: The Balfron Project


Illustration by Karina Yarv

A utopian ‘community in the sky’, website like this was the dream of architect Ernö Goldfinger when he designed Balfron Tower in Poplar, East London. This may or may not be the result today, but the effort remains fascinating. The impressive tower, part of a social housing complex near the Blackwall tunnel under the Thames, keeps capturing artists’ imagination, most recently that of Simon Terrill as he initiated The Balfron Project.

The photographer went one step further than most and followed in the footsteps of Goldfinger himself, by moving into the high-rise. Like the architect did 32 years earlier, he invited his new neighbours to come and talk about their experience of living in the building. The eventual result was an hour-long photo shoot, where the residents came out onto their balconies and lawns to be a part of Terrill’s photo of their home.


The Balfron Project by Simon Terrill

Last night at The Nunnery Gallery in Bow we could see the result – a massive, stunning photograph of the tower, beautifully lit against a dark sky. Gallery visitors crowded around to take in the details, with each balcony and window showing the lives of another family living in this City of London heirloom. Some of the tower’s inhabitants were present at the opening, proudly pointing out which flat was theirs. ‘The project does not seek to fictionalise nor expose the lives of those who call the tower home. What the Balfron Project will do, for the first time since the building’s inception, is to generate an arena for reciprocal viewing,’ said Simon Terrill.


Illustration by Romain Lambert-Louis

Goldfinger applied the lessons from Balfron when designing the bigger Trellick Tower in West London, and both buildings remain subjects of fascination. Novelist JG Ballard featured Balfron in his book ‘High-Rise’, while Danny Boyle put it in his post-apocalyptic film ’28 Days Later’. Goldfinger’s futuristic visions meant the architect himself became the inspiration behind the James Bond villain of the same name.

While Terrill’s image of Balfron Tower is beautiful, those who haven’t seen the tower in real life should make sure to do so if they make the trip to Bow. The tower is not far away, at St Leonard’s Road in Poplar. A couple of blocks from Balfron is another brutalist structure, Robin Hood Gardens, where architects Alison and Peter Smithson set out to create ‘streets in the sky’. The structure has outdoor walkways broad enough for several people, but unlike Balfron, Robin Hood does not enjoy listed building-status. This means Robin Hood is looking increasingly rough around the edges, but in spite of this, or maybe because of it, it’s definitely worth seeing as well.


Tower of Balfron by Simon Terrill, after Bruegel’s ‘Babel’

The Balfron Project is on at The Nunnery Gallery, 183 Bow Road, London E3, until 23rd January. See our listing for more information.

Categories ,28 Days Later, ,Alison and Peter Smithson, ,Balfron Tower, ,Bow, ,Bruegel, ,brutalist architecture, ,Danny Boyle, ,Ernö Goldfinger, ,High-Rise, ,James Bond, ,JG Ballard, ,Karina Yarv, ,london, ,photography, ,Poplar, ,Robin Hood Gardens, ,Romain Lambert-Louis, ,Simon Terrill, ,The Balfron Project, ,The Nunnery Gallery, ,Trellick Tower

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Amelia’s Magazine | Balfron Tower by Ernő Goldfinger: Pop Up Opening with the National Trust

Balfron Tower
Last week I was invited to view the inside of the Balfron Tower in advance of a ‘pop up’ opening with the National Trust as part of Balfron Season. As a long term fan of Brutalist architecture I was excited at the prospect of seeing inside one of the famous Goldfinger tower blocks, so Snarfle and I trundled over to Langdon Park in Poplar, East London.

Balfron Tower Flat 130 interior bedroom
Balfron Tower Flat 130 interior kitchen
Balfron Tower Flat 130 interior kitchen table
Balfron Tower Flat 130 interior radio times
We were ferried up in the coffin shaped lifts (presumably built to accommodate emergencies… and deaths) before arriving on a top floor to view Flat 130, a maisonette flat once occupied by the architect Ernő Goldfinger for a few months after the block was built in 1968, apparently to demonstrate the benefits of high rise life. For the pop up the flat has been redecorated in an earnestly retro style by the Hemingways; think shag piles, Tretchicoffs and G Plan. Of course, I particularly liked the little illustrated details.

Balfron Tower Flat 130 interior bedroom 2
Balfron Tower Flat 130 interior living room
Balfron Tower Flat 130 interior pinball machine
Balfron Tower Flat 130 interior horses
The walkways in the sky are connected to the ‘service tower’ by suspended concrete paths, not the most salubrious of passages after nearly 50 years of use. Gosh I do love a brutalist building but I wouldn’t want to live in one: arrow like windows recall the defensive architecture of medieval castles, and the predominant view below is of the A12, from which we usually view this building at high speed, on our way to places more pastoral.

Balfron Tower windows
Balfron Tower view
Glenkerry House Goldfinger
We made our way home via Glenkerry House (above, a later Goldfinger addition to the Brownfield Estate), the Festival of Britain clock tower and Chrisp Street market, where we stopped to enjoy some street food and music from Paul Mosley.

Chrisp street graffiti

Sadly this is the swan song for Balfron Tower as social housing: the flats are being scrubbed up to be sold off on the ‘luxury’ market – far from what Goldfinger originally intended.

Tours with the National Trust take place between 1st-5th October and 8-12 October and are will include a discussion on the local area, modernism and the development of post war social housing. Book your ticket here if brutalism tickles your fancy.

UPDATE! Due to popular demand the National Trust have now extended the tours of Flat 130, Balfron Tower for a further two weeks. Grab your tickets now as they’re sure to sell out again soon.

Tickets are being released for 6 more days of tours, Friday to Sunday 17-19 and 24-26 October. Tours are on the hour, 11am to 4pm. Please note places on tours are ONLY available by booking in advance at here. To register interest in visiting with a local community or educational group please contact london@nationaltrust.org.uk.

Joseph Watson, Programme Manager of National Trust London – “The National Trust is delighted to announce that more tickets for the Balfron Tower are now being made available for the coming fortnight. As part of the extension, we are undertaking further work with local schools and community groups, inviting them to visit Flat 130 for free. I would like to record our special thanks to local residents for welcoming us and allowing us to extend the run.

Categories ,1968, ,A12, ,Balfron Season, ,Balfron Tower, ,Brownfield Estate, ,Brutalist, ,Chrisp Street, ,East London, ,Ernö Goldfinger, ,Festival of Britain, ,Flat 130, ,G-Plan, ,Glenkerry House, ,Hemingway, ,Langdon Park, ,National Trust, ,Passing Thoughts and Making Plans, ,Paul Mosley, ,Poplar, ,retro, ,Snarfle

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Amelia’s Magazine | Brutalist dreams: The Balfron Project


Illustration by Karina Yarv

A utopian ‘community in the sky’, website like this was the dream of architect Ernö Goldfinger when he designed Balfron Tower in Poplar, East London. This may or may not be the result today, but the effort remains fascinating. The impressive tower, part of a social housing complex near the Blackwall tunnel under the Thames, keeps capturing artists’ imagination, most recently that of Simon Terrill as he initiated The Balfron Project.

The photographer went one step further than most and followed in the footsteps of Goldfinger himself, by moving into the high-rise. Like the architect did 32 years earlier, he invited his new neighbours to come and talk about their experience of living in the building. The eventual result was an hour-long photo shoot, where the residents came out onto their balconies and lawns to be a part of Terrill’s photo of their home.


The Balfron Project by Simon Terrill

Last night at The Nunnery Gallery in Bow we could see the result – a massive, stunning photograph of the tower, beautifully lit against a dark sky. Gallery visitors crowded around to take in the details, with each balcony and window showing the lives of another family living in this City of London heirloom. Some of the tower’s inhabitants were present at the opening, proudly pointing out which flat was theirs. ‘The project does not seek to fictionalise nor expose the lives of those who call the tower home. What the Balfron Project will do, for the first time since the building’s inception, is to generate an arena for reciprocal viewing,’ said Simon Terrill.


Illustration by Romain Lambert-Louis

Goldfinger applied the lessons from Balfron when designing the bigger Trellick Tower in West London, and both buildings remain subjects of fascination. Novelist JG Ballard featured Balfron in his book ‘High-Rise’, while Danny Boyle put it in his post-apocalyptic film ’28 Days Later’. Goldfinger’s futuristic visions meant the architect himself became the inspiration behind the James Bond villain of the same name.

While Terrill’s image of Balfron Tower is beautiful, those who haven’t seen the tower in real life should make sure to do so if they make the trip to Bow. The tower is not far away, at St Leonard’s Road in Poplar. A couple of blocks from Balfron is another brutalist structure, Robin Hood Gardens, where architects Alison and Peter Smithson set out to create ‘streets in the sky’. The structure has outdoor walkways broad enough for several people, but unlike Balfron, Robin Hood does not enjoy listed building-status. This means Robin Hood is looking increasingly rough around the edges, but in spite of this, or maybe because of it, it’s definitely worth seeing as well.


Tower of Balfron by Simon Terrill, after Bruegel’s ‘Babel’

The Balfron Project is on at The Nunnery Gallery, 183 Bow Road, London E3, until 23rd January. See our listing for more information.

Categories ,28 Days Later, ,Alison and Peter Smithson, ,Balfron Tower, ,Bow, ,Bruegel, ,brutalist architecture, ,Danny Boyle, ,Ernö Goldfinger, ,High-Rise, ,James Bond, ,JG Ballard, ,Karina Yarv, ,london, ,photography, ,Poplar, ,Robin Hood Gardens, ,Romain Lambert-Louis, ,Simon Terrill, ,The Balfron Project, ,The Nunnery Gallery, ,Trellick Tower

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