Stalking Erno Goldfinger
For the original article, please visit Londonist. http://www.londonist.com/archives/2005/12/londonist_stalk_3.php Goldfinger. Bah-Bah BAH! He’s the man…who should have used thicker toilet paperrrrr. So went the iconic sixties Bond theme. (Or was that the man with the golden pun? No matter.) Goldfinger is that rare example of a man who left his mark on both the silver screen and the west London skyline. For those who are puzzled right now, the famous Bond villain was actually named after a real-life architect, one Ernő Goldfinger. Ian Fleming was so incensed by Goldfinger’s 'ugly' designs that he adopted the name for one of his most famous evil geniuses. We’d take that as quite a compliment. But not old Ernő. This man was no fun and, according to Wikipedia, ‘sometimes sacked his assistants if they were inappropriately jocular’. That lack of humour comes through in his buildings. Bulky, brutalistic and practically vomiting concrete, most of his London edifices sing from the same grim-sheet. But, like his screen namesake, Goldfinger’s buildings also abound with character. And, like it or not, they’re a very visible part of the London skyline. So hold on to your hats (and that includes you, Oddjob) as we run around town stalking Ernő Goldfinger.