National Trust London - Carlyle's House

Location -24 Cheyne Row, Chelsea, London, SW3 5HL 

Victorian writers' shrine in Chelsea

Hidden in the quiet back streets of Chelsea is the home of Thomas and Jane Carlyle.

A twist of fate turned Carlyle into a star of the 19th-century literary world. Suddenly this was the place to be.                                                      

When you pull the bell to enter you will follow in the footsteps of Dickens, Ruskin, Tennyson and many more.

William Makepeace Thackeray said: 'Tom Carlyle lives in perfect dignity in a house in Chelsea with a snuffy Scotch maid to open the door and best company in England ringing at it!'

Come and learn more of their remarkable story as you look around this authentic, evocative, very special place. 

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London Museums - 2 Willow Road

2 Willow Road is part of a terrace of three houses in Hampstead London designed by architect Ernő Goldfinger and completed in 1939. It has been managed by the National Trust since 1995 and is open to the public. It was one of the first modernist buildings acquired by the Trust, giving rise to some controversy. Goldfinger lived there with his wife Ursula and their children until his death in 1987.

1–3 Willow Road was constructed using concrete and a facing of red brick. A number of cottages were demolished to allow for the construction, which was strongly opposed by a number of local residents including novelist Ian Fleming (this was said to be his inspiration for the name of the James Bond villain Auric Goldfinger) and the future Conservative Home Secretary Henry Brooke. No. 2, which Goldfinger designed specifically as his own family home, is the largest of the three houses and features a spiral staircase designed by Danish engineer Ove Arup at its core. The building is supported by a concrete frame, part of which is external, leaving room for a spacious uncluttered interior, perhaps inspired by theRaumplan ideas of modernist architect Adolf Loos.

Goldfinger himself designed much of the furniture in No. 2, and the house also contains a significant collection of 20th-century art by Bridget Riley, Marcel Duchamp, Henry Moore and Max Ernst.

Entry is by timed ticket, and facilities are very limited. Nos. 1 and 3 remain private homes.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/2-willow-road/ 

Kids Go Free this August

National Trust Offer, Kids go Free!

Kids Go Free this August: "Save money this summer – Kids Go Free

To help you on your way to a great summer, we’re offering free entry* for kids from 1-26 August.

Hundreds of our special places are opening up their doors for the summer holidays so families can enjoy fun-packed adventures on their doorstep. So what are you waiting for? It’s time for a freebie on us.

All you have to do is download a voucher (using the link below), take it to a participating National Trust place and two children will receive free entry per paying adult.

Whether you want to go wild in the outdoors or discover a cool taste for history inside an ancient castle, make it a summer to remember with us.

Download your Kids Go Free voucher" Here