Brutalism in Barbican: An Architectural Walking Tour

Step into the Barbican Estate, a post-World War II architectural marvel in London. This 40-acre site within the city centre is a prime example of Brutalist architecture, with its raw concrete structures, angular forms, and functional design. Architects Chamberlin, Powell, and Bon meticulously crafted this complex, combining residential, cultural, and educational facilities. This walking tour delves into the Barbican Estate‘s dramatic architectural landscape and expertly showcases its prominent sites.

Starting from Barbican Station, you‘ll make your way across the Highwalk system to enjoy panoramic views of Lauderdale Tower, Shakespeare Tower, and Cromwell Tower, once London‘s tallest residential structures. As you make your way around the estate and across Gilbert Bridge, you‘ll see the estate‘s iconic sites and hear some of its secrets. At the Barbican Podium (or Opodium), an open-air amphitheater atop the Barbican Centre, you‘ll be treated to unique cinematic experiences, surrounded by detailed concrete columns. Our journey ends on the Seddon Highwalk where London‘s modern cityscape awaits.

Along the way, you‘ll have a chance to:

• Admire the urban tranquility at Lakeside Terrace, fed by water from the subterranean River Fleet, which runs beneath the Barbican Estate
• Find the remains of a 500-year-old Beech tree at John Trundle Court building
• Admire the bronze sculpture, the Barbican Muse, at the Barbican Centre, a cultural epicenter housing arts organizations
• Learn about the tactical approach taken by the people who constructed the Thomas More Highwalk
• Explore the nuances of Ben Jonson House, home to 118 flats with floor-to-ceiling windows and a terracotta rainwater drainage system
• Tower above London‘s ancient City Wall and Towers

At the end of this Barbican walking tour, you‘ll have seen how history and urban planning combined to create one of London‘s most iconic neighborhoods.