{"id":4231,"date":"2011-05-05T10:30:11","date_gmt":"2011-05-05T09:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/?p=4231"},"modified":"2011-05-05T13:43:39","modified_gmt":"2011-05-05T12:43:39","slug":"a-spring-strut-through-the-barbican-estate-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/a-spring-strut-through-the-barbican-estate-london\/","title":{"rendered":"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-13.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It has to be said that parts of it are looking a bit run down these days, although the vast Barbican estate in the City of London remains a desirable address for most Londoners.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-01.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Covering\u00a0a large chunk of \u00a0Cripplegate &#8211; an area that was so badly damaged during the war that almost all of it was demolished by 1951 &#8211;\u00a0the estate was built between 1965 and 1976, on a 35-acre site.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-02.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/CityPoint\" target=\"_blank\">CityPoint tower<\/a>, Ropemaker Street on the northern fringes of the City of London.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-03.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-04.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you love concrete you&#8217;re going to love this place, and in 2001, the Minister for the Arts, Tessa Blackstone, decided to award Grade II listing to the Barbican complex. So we&#8217;re stuck with it forever.<\/p>\n<p>The development was designated a site of special architectural interest on the grounds of its &#8220;scale, its cohesion and the ambition of the project.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-05.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Looming up next to the Barbocan is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/the-heron-rises-in-the-city-36-storeys-for-the-well-heeled-in-ec2\/\">Heron Tower<\/a> which modestly claims to\u00a0\u201credefine standards of luxury living in the City\u201d and be \u201cthe ultimate residential experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-06.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In amongst the lines of concrete lies a rather pleasant lake with gushing fountains and even the odd heron.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-07.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-08.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-09.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you like concrete walkways, the Barbican is the place for you &#8211; it&#8217;s got loads of them!<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-10.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-11.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-12.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Another walkway. With a pretty yellow line.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-14.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-15.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-16.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Sitting rather\u00a0uncomfortably amid all the concrete is\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.stgilescripplegate.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">St Giles&#8217; without Cripplegate<\/a>, one of the few medieval churches left in the City of London (it managed to survive the Great Fire of 1666).<\/p>\n<p>The current Grade I structure dates back from 1394,\u00a0although\u00a0there&#8217;s has been a church on this site since the 11th century.\u00a0Oliver Cromwell was married here too.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-17.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A lot of the areas around the Barbican are quite tatty &#8211; check out our earlier walk <a href=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/a-walk-through-the-barbican-london\/\">past closed shops and pubs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-18.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Outside the fab\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/a-trip-to-the-museum-of-london\/\">Museum of London<\/a>, which is\u00a0incorporated\u00a0in the Barbican estate.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-19.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-20.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-21.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This is probably the ugliest\u00a0piece\u00a0of architecture in the Barbican.<\/p>\n<p>What is it? A train shed? Church? No, it&#8217;s a Tandoori house!<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-22.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The estate contains three of\u00a0London&#8217;s tallest residential towers, standing 42 storeys and 123\u00a0metres (404\u00a0ft) high.<\/p>\n<p>In the top two or three floors of each block resides the posh folks in their penthouse flats,\u00a0rattling\u00a0their\u00a0jewellery.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-23.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/images\/barbican-london-photos-24.jpg\" alt=\"A spring strut through the Barbican estate, London\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.urban75.net\/vbulletin\/threads\/348159-The-Barbican-estate-what-s-your-verdict\" target=\"_blank\">Discuss\u00a0the Barbican estate on our boards<\/a><\/p>\n<p>More info:\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cityoflondon.gov.uk\/Corporation\/LGNL_Services\/Housing\/Private_housing\/Barbican_history\/history.htm\" target=\"_blank\">The history of the Barbican Estate<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It has to be said that parts of it are looking a bit run down these days, although the vast Barbican estate in the City of London remains a desirable &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[194,17,193],"tags":[361,10],"class_list":["post-4231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-london-features","category-photos","category-places","tag-barbican","tag-london"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/barbican-london-photos-13.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pQI7P-16f","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4231"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4234,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4231\/revisions\/4234"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.urban75.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}