Looking at architecture

Just a couple of days after me and my friend D walked 15 398 steps around Highgate, we walked back there (15 899 steps this time!) to continue our architecture walk. Highpoint I and II are probably two of the most famous modern apartment blocks in the UK, built by Berthold Lubetkin in 1935 and 1938. This is the front of Highpoint II, and we were swooning a bit as we walked around.

I spotted this little Aalto corner inside the entrance and managed to take exactly one picture before the porter came running out saying “No pictures! Only from the street!”. Ok dude - relaaax. Can you imagine the uproar from the neighbours when this was built? Look at the houses in the reflection and you can see how very different these building are!

This is the back of Highpoint II. They must enjoy some pretty awesome sunsets from up there.

The higgledy piggledy architecture of London used to drive me mad when I moved here 330 moons ago. Why wasn’t it more like Paris, New York or Amsterdam I wondered. Well, mainly because it was heavily bombed in WW2. These days it’s what I love the most about the architecture here; it can change so wildly in just a few metres. This little house, built in 1781 is just a couple of hundred meters away from Highpoint, on the same side of the street. Crazy.

Anyway. Eventually we walked down Swains Lane where we came across this très moderne facade - very reflective.

Which meant…

“HIIIIIIIIIIIII!”

Further down Swains Lane is Highgate Cemetery, built in 1839. I’ve only been once and I don’t think I explored it particularly well. I’m definitely coming back here once we are allowed to - it looks pretty amazing.

These strange looking apartment blocks opposite the cemetery where built in the 1920’s. They’re so weirdly disproportionally tall for that style of building, don’t you think?

Right at the bottom of Swains Lane is the Holly Village estate, which looks like something out of Hogwarts. The houses and green were built in 1865 as servants quarters to a Baroness. It’s pretty eerie in there, and we didn’t dare go in properly, but I can vouch for the strange vibe as we know a family who lives there.

It’s a bit much, non? Imagine coming home late at night and walking through there - uhm, no thanks! I’d expect bats and ghosts and little wizard children coming right at me.

And finally, this classic early Victorian house looked fab with her wisteria necklace on like that.

I’ve not been outside the house (apart from the garden) since last Tuesday; my headaches, fatigue and body aches made me suspect that I might have had a very mild form of Covid 19. It’d be effing awesome if it was. Six days of headaches, three days in bed and achy bones on and off the whole time. And guess what I did during that time? I watched a LOT of architecture programmes. Must be all that time spent indoors innit :D