I had been living close by for around two years but it wasn’t until a good friend pointed her out to me that I started to take notice of (or, as my Mrs would say, become obsessed with) the Trellick Tower. Situated on the Goldborne Road in what is now referred to as North Kensington in London, the protruding slabs of grey-brown pebble-dashed concrete are almost hard to take in on first sight. Viewed from the South end of Goldborne Road and from along the Regents Canal the Tower, to the unfamiliar onlooker, seems harsh, out of place and terribly dated. But gain familiarity and she becomes something else; an architectural giant; a design classic both loved and hated; a place people want to call home. This isn’t just some romantically sweeping statement either friends; I met with a handful of residents of the Trellick Tower and I can’t imagine getting the same positive reaction meeting residents of other tower blocks in the capital.
Completed in 1972, architect Erno Goldfinger (who was known to Ian Flemming – you can make your own minds up about the obvious) designed the Trellick based on his earlier Balfron Tower in Poplar, East London. He actually lived in the penthouse of both towers for a short while after they were built. Burlesque dancer Annette has also lived in both towers, moving from the Balfron to the 15th floor of the Trellick, where she currently lives. Not liking Poplar too much but being a fan of Goldfinger’s designs she moved as soon as a flat in the Grade II listed Trellick became available.
The bad reputation the Tower had for crime has almost now disappeared thanks to the 24 hour security on the ground floor. Mother and daughter Imadi and Anita have been residents for 20 years, and currently live on the 9th floor – having moved from the 3rd. They both cite the 24 hour security as a big plus and say they always feel protected. Walking around the grounds of the Trellick, it’s easy to see the potential there is for crime and drug abuse to exist; small, dark corners and stairwells hug the base of the Tower and seemingly lead to nowhere but a high walled recreation area and service entrance. This, however, is in stark contrast to the patch of land in between the Regents Canal and the Trellick Tower, the beautifully named Meanwhile Gardens. It’s almost a symbol of the safer, protected environment the residents of the Tower now enjoy.
Although much of the base of the Tower and surrounding surfaces have been adorned with graffiti and tagged (and this is not a complaint folks, some of the artwork is brilliant and seems to belong there), the gardens have remained on the whole untouched and could be a world away from the recreation area on the Southern side of the tower. Student Jenson also lives on the 9th floor, and although complains of the maintenance being poor, has still lived there for two and a half years.
The Trellick Tower seems like a world of contrasts in one small neighborhood; the difficult initial view of the tower is lost to an impressive feeling, the almost majestic Trellick coming in to view as you near the Goldborne Road from Ladbroke Grove – it stands with a presence rather than an ugliness you may have seen with your first few sightings; tensions between private and council tenants exist; the gardens on the north side of the Tower are far removed from the tired basketball court to the south. But, maybe this is what makes the Trellick Tower so unique – she seems to symbolize the contrasts of London Town; there is room for everything here – ugliness, beauty, concrete, flowers, private, council, practicality, style, grey, colour, old and young – just like London herself.
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