Rudolf Steiner House And Hall

The Rudolf Steiner House and Hall, built between 1924 and 1926 with additional work in 1931-1932, serves as the hall, offices, and meeting rooms for the Anthroposophical Society of Rudolf Steiner. Designed by Montague Wheeler, the building is constructed of cast in-situ concrete and faced with Granolithic concrete blocks. It features an asymmetrical design with four storeys, including three regular bays to the left beneath a segmental pediment. The central sections have irregular fenestration that reflects the staircases behind, while the right side has three under-spaced bays. The upper floors are fitted with square mullion casements with square panes, and the ground floor has round-arched openings, including an expressionist segmental curved shopfront under a coved hood mould.

Inside, the hall is a striking space designed for performances of 'Eurythmy', emphasizing the expression of spirit through physical movement. This is evident in the sinuous, expressionistic curves of the hall's proscenium and windows, particularly in the dynamic design of two staircases that bring life to the concrete structure. These designs were inspired by models created in clay, a medium favored by Steiner.

The Rudolf Steiner House is the headquarters of a significant international movement that has expressed its ideology through architecture. It stands as the most prominent example of Steiner's architectural style in England, akin to his well-known building, the Goetheanum, near Basel. The structure is also a notable British representation of the symbolic expressionism that characterized German art before and after World War I.