Trellick Tower

Trellick Tower stands in Kensal Town on the Cheltenham Estate, a Grade II* listed concrete tower block designed by Ernő Goldfinger. It rises 98 metres across 31 floors, with a separate lift and service tower linked every third storey to the main corridors. The building contains 217 flats, maisonettes on the 23rd and 24th floors, and a seven-storey block with shops and a youth centre. Goldfinger planned communal areas and varied each apartment’s layout so no two flats look the same. Large windows and balconies bring natural light into every home, while cedarwood finishes and quality fixtures were used throughout. The tower’s history reflects changing attitudes to high-rise living. Completed in 1972, it was meant to replace poor Victorian housing but soon became known for crime and neglect. Vandals damaged drying rooms before opening day, and by the late 1970s the building earned the nickname ‘The Tower of Terror’. A pensioner died after lifts failed during a sabotage incident, and a woman was attacked in a lift on the 15th floor. Crime only began to fall after residents formed an association in 1984 and pushed for security upgrades, including a concierge in 1987. Today the tower is a landmark of Brutalist architecture and a sought-after place to live. Its concrete structure survived a 2017 fire with limited damage, unlike nearby Grenfell Tower. The building remains a mix of social housing and private flats, with strong demand for both. It has featured in films and television, adding to its cultural presence. The separate service tower still houses the old heating plant, a reminder of the oil crisis that made the original boilers obsolete. The estate borders Meanwhile Gardens and the Grand Union Canal, offering green spaces beside the Westway and railway lines.