Trellick Tower’s soaring popularity

It’s been a good autumn for two of London’s most iconic Brutalist towers. In October C20 was pleased to report that Historic England had decided to upgrade the listing of Erno Goldfinger’s Balfron Tower to grade II*. Last month Goldfinger’s Trellick Tower featured on the BBC series Inside Out London, in an episode featuring C20’s Senior Conservation Adviser, Henrietta Billings.

Henrietta and C20 Director Catherine Croft worked with the SPID Theatre Group, based in west London, on a two-day heritage workshop telling the story of the history and architecture of Trellick Tower. As part of a year-long project, SPID has been collaborating with teenagers from the estate to give them a greater understanding and appreciation of their architectural environment.

The first block of Trellick Tales workshops focused on mapping the personal histories of Trellick and its residents. While Henrietta and Catherine provided the architectural background, the Oral History Society’s Rib Davis helped the participants to hone their interview technique. The stories they captured became part of a script for a promenade performance, which took place in Trellick Tower.

Henrietta said: “It’s fantastic to see this resurgence of interest and appreciation of Brutalist buildings. It shows how cycles of fashion in architecture change over time – and why it is so important that the best examples are celebrated now and looked after for future generations to enjoy.”

Trellick Tower will also feature on the new Brutalist London map from Blue Crow Media. Henrietta has written an Introduction to Brutalism for the reverse side of this map, which features more than 50 of the capital’s post-war landmarks, including the Barbican, the National Theatre and the World’s End estate in Chelsea. It is now available for £8 (plus p&p) from Blue Crow or in Foyles, the Barbican and National Theatre shops.