2 Willow Road, Home of Goldfinger

Erno Goldfinger was a Hungarian-born architect and furniture maker.  When he built this home in 1939 in Hampstead, across from the Heath, it caused a scandal for its modernist design.  From the outside, it looks rather bland but inside it oozes with character and looks very much like it did decades ago when Erno and his wife resided there.  Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take photographs due to copyright issues.  Erno and his British wife Ursula were friends with such artists as Max Ernst, Marcel Duchamp, Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore and the original work of these artists fills the house.

Aside, the writer Ian Fleming lived in Hampstead and used Goldfinger's name as the title of his 1959-published James Bond series book. Erno, reportedly, was not pleased.

Tulips!

The tulips of Holland Park have emerged and they are truly dazzling!

Peacock in residence.

Kyoto Garden

Dame Agatha Christie's house in Kensington.  She moved
out in 1941 when the houses across the street were 
destroyed by bombs dropped on them during The Blitz. 

Severndroog Castle

In Castle Wood, upon Shooter's Hill, sits Severndroog Castle, a Gothic folly constructed in 1784 by Lady James of Eltham to honor her recently deceased husband Sir William James and his 1755 attack on the island fortress of Suvarnadurg on the west coast of India.  Its rooftop platform offers views across London.

Red House

This day found us in Bexleyheath, southeast London, touring Red House, the family home of William Morris and his wife Jane.  William Morris was a notable 19th century textile designer, poet, novelist, and social activist.  Designed & built in 1860 by Morris and the neo-gothic architect Philip Webb, the residence's aesthetic is an early example of what came to be known as the Arts & Crafts movement.  Aiding in decorating the home were Morris' friends, the Pre-Raphaelite painters Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Red House

Front door.

Front door.

Ceiling design above the staircase.

A mural uncovered in the master bedroom.

Ars Longa Vita Brevis.  Life is short but
art is forever.

An alcove where Jane Morris enjoyed doing needlework.

Not far from Red House is Danson House, a
Georgian villa built in 1766