2 Willow Road

Goldfinger designed 2 Willow Road in 1939, as one of a terrace of three houses that would become a home for himself and his family, and a showcase for his own architectural practice. Though architects had built their own homes before, Goldfinger's project was unusual in being based in the city, where it came under scrutiny both from his immediate neighbours and the London County Council to whose strict planning guidelines he adhered. In the face of complaints from Henry Brooke, later MP for Hampstead, that the block would be out of keeping with its historical surroundings, Goldfinger asserted that the flats 'were designed in a modern adaptation of the eighteenth-century style'.

Among the building's many innovations was its use of external concrete supports, allowing for a spacious, uncluttered interior, and it is now considered a brilliant example of Modernist design. Goldfinger continued to live there with his family until his death in 1987, and the house was presented to the Trust in 1994 - by Peter Brooke, the son of Goldfinger's formerly recalcitrant opponent.