Isokon Flats, Lawn Road, Hampstead, Greater London
This block of 36 flats was built in 1933-34. It was designed by Wells Coates, for Jack & Molly Pritchard. The Pritchards had a penthouse and there was a separate penthouse for their children on the roof. Each floor had six one-room `minimum' flats, designed to offer single professional people a cheap but more independent alternative to `digs' (rooms in boarding houses). They originally had space-saving fitted furniture and closets, fitted kitchens, dressing rooms and bathrooms all designed by Coates. He was one of the leading architects of the Modern Movement in Britain in the 1930s. This was the first block of flats to be built in Britain in the fully modern style. In 1937 Marcel Breuer and F R S Yorke converted part of the ground floor into a residents' club known as the Isobar. This attracted young architects and writers. It also attracted refugee architects from Germany and eastern Europe who Pritchard helped bring to Britain from 1933 when Hitler came to power. During the early years it was the home of many well known designers, artists, writers and poets and was noted for its restaurant.
