Isokon Gallery
modernist living, and its spies
A small free gallery inside the radical Isokon Flats in Belsize Park, telling the story of one of Britain's boldest modernist experiments.
Free to visit · Belsize Park · Belsize Park · NW3 2XD
Opening: Sat & Sun, spring to autumn · check season
The Isokon Flats on Lawn Road are one of the most important modernist buildings in Britain, a streamlined white block of tiny experimental apartments built in 1934 to test a radical new way of living. In the old garage at the foot of the building, a small free gallery tells the whole extraordinary story.
And what a story it is. The flats housed Bauhaus designers fleeing Europe, the writer Agatha Christie, and as it later emerged a nest of Soviet spies, all in a building designed around the idea that you could live well with almost no possessions. The gallery is small but the tale is huge, and it costs nothing.
Getting there: On Lawn Road, a short walk from Belsize Park station in north London.
Best time to go: A weekend afternoon in the open season, ideally combined with a Hampstead Heath walk.
Insider tip: It only opens at weekends in the warmer months, so check the season before you go. Combine it with a walk up to Hampstead Heath, which is free and a few minutes away.
Official site: https://isokongallery.org
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide