Georgie Wolton's No. 34 Belsize Lane, a lesser known piece of modernist architecture in London, has been awarded a prestigious Grade II listing. This is the first building by the relatively little-known post-war British architect on the National Heritage List for England.
Georgie Wolton’s No. 34 Belsize Lane: a lesser-known modernist gem
The project was designed by Georgie Wolton (1934-2021) as her own personal home and studio and created in 1975-1976. It's a rare piece of architecture for Wolton, who played a pivotal, though short-lived role in the formation of the famous architectural practice Team 4 in the early 1960s, before going on to form her own studio and increasingly focus on landscape work within the span of her long career.
Catherine Croft, director of the Twentieth Century Society, says: 'In Georgie Wolton’s generation, architecture was largely a man’s world. Building her own home exactly as she wanted it, could be seen as a subversive and powerfully feminist act.'
'34 Belsize Lane is a really subtle and understated project, a very personal work which has survived remarkably intact. Behind an unassuming boundary lies a small masterpiece – a house she called the “last of the English follies”, one totally in touch with the exciting architectural zeitgeist of its day, but also unique and uncompromising.'
Meanwhile, critic and author Jonathan Meades describes her as the 'outstanding woman architect of the generation before Zaha [Hadid]'.
The project remains a private home and the current owner will be documenting their restoration journey on Instagram via @georgiewoltonhouse.
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