Barbican Estate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Barbican Estate is a residential estate in the City of London, in an area densely packed with commerce and finance. It also contains, or is adjacent to, the Barbican Arts Centre, the Museum of London, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Barbican public library, the City of London School for Girls and a YMCA, forming the Barbican Complex. With the exception of Milton Court, which contained a fire station, medical facilities and some flats, the complex has been Grade II listed as a whole.
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[edit] History
The estate was built between 1965 and 1976, on a 35-acre (140,000 m2) site that was bombed in World War II.The complex was designed by architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, whose first work was the earlier, ground-breaking Golden Lane Estate immediately North of Barbican. The Minister for the Arts, Tessa Blackstone, announced in September 2001 that the Barbican complex was to be Grade II listed. It has been designated a site of special architectural interest for its scale, its cohesion and the ambition of the project.[1] The complex is architecturally important as it is one of London's principal examples of concrete Brutalist architecture and considered a landmark.
During World War II, the City suffered serious damage and loss of life. The Cripplegate area was virtually demolished and by 1951 the resident population of the City stood at 5,324 of whom 48 lived in Cripplegate. Discussions began in 1952 about the future of the site, and the decision to build new residential properties was taken by the Court of Common Council on 19 September 1957.[2]
The estate of 40 acres (160,000 m2) was officially opened in 1969 and is now home to around 4,000 people living in 2,014 flats.[2] The flats reflect the widespread use in Britain in the 1960s and 1970s of concrete as the visible face of the building.
[edit] Blocks and towers
The residential estate consists of 13 terrace blocks, grouped around the lake and green squares within the complex. The main buildings rise for up to seven floors above a podium level, which links all the facilities in the Barbican, providing a pedestrian route above street level. Some maisonettes are built into the podium structure. There is no vehicular access within the estate, but there are some car parks at the periphery of the estate. Public car parks are located within the Barbican centre.
The estate also contains three of London's tallest residential towers, at 42 storeys and 123 metres (404 ft) high. The top two floors comprise one penthouse flat. The towers are (east to west):
- Cromwell Tower, completed in 1973 - named after Oliver Cromwell;[3]
- Shakespeare Tower, completed in 1976 - named after William Shakespeare;[4] and
- Lauderdale Tower, completed in 1974 - named after the Earls of Lauderdale.[5]
Although the tallest residential towers in London, they will soon be surpassed by the Pan Peninsula development near Canary Wharf.
[edit] Barbican complex
The Barbican Estate also contains the Barbican Centre (an arts, drama and business venue), the Barbican public library, the City of London School for Girls, the Museum of London, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. A YMCA building was constructed between 1965 and 1971[1] to link the Barbican and Golden Lane Estate, it is also listed.
[edit] Nearby rail and Tube
- Barbican (Thameslink trains bound for Moorgate stop here, but not when outbound from Moorgate)
- Liverpool Street
- Moorgate
- Farringdon
- Barbican (Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines).
- Moorgate (Northern (city branch), Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines)
- St. Paul's (Central Line)
- Farringdon (Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines)
[edit] See also
[edit] References and notes
- ^ a b "Listing of the Barbican complex". City of London. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.
- ^ a b "History of the Barbican Estate". City of London. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.
- ^ "Cromwell Tower". Emporis Buildings. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.
- ^ "Shakespeare Tower". Emporis Buildings. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.
- ^ "Lauderdale Tower". Emporis Buildings. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.
[edit] External links
- The history of the Barbican Estate
- Barbican living
- Barbican talk
- Corporation of London:Barbican Estate
- Save Milton Court: A website opposed to the proposed demolition of part of the estate
