2 Parkside in Wimbledon, designed by architects Richard and Su Rogers, will open to the public this weekend.
Modernist house 22 Parkside in Wimbledon has been given to the National Trust by the Rogers family, and will open to the public this weekend.
Designed by architects Richard and Su Rogers, the house in Wimbledon was originally created in 1968 for Richard Rogers’s parents.
The Trust said the house’s design inspired the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the design of the Lloyd’s building in London as an early example of High-Tech architecture.
The acquisition expands the Trust’s portfolio of 20th-century heritage, which already includes 2 Willow Road in Hampstead and The Homewood in Surrey. It is now exploring activities including guided visits, educational partnerships and interactive, digital content, creating a “creative and educational resource” for schools, universities and other heritage organisations.
The house will first open to the public for the day on Saturday 12 September as part of London’s Open House festival.
Ben Rogers, son of architects Richard and Su Rogers, called the home “one of the most important buildings my father and mother created – a place where many of the ideas that would go on to influence my father’s work and some of the world’s most celebrated architecture were first tested and explored. ”
Hilary McGrady, director-general of the National Trust, said the gift “will ensure that a building where world-changing ideas were born continues to inspire new generations of thinkers, makers and creators.”
To secure the property’s long-term future, the National Trust has established an endowment with contributions from supporters such as the Sigrid Rausing Trust and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
To support the creation of an education and learning programme, the Trust is seeking additional funding.
