The Barbican

The area is named after the barbican (meaning fortified outpost or gateway) which would have been part of the north-western section of the walls of the old Roman city of Londinium. This original tower was pulled down by Henry III in 1267 but a thoroughfare of the same name continued to exist in its place. Records from the 14^th century document it as ‘Barbycanstret’ and it was part of the parish of Cripplegate. The local industry was brewing - records show there were over 70 breweries in the area.

In Anglo-Saxon times, the gate in the medieval wall here (the Roman wall having by this time been almost completely replaced) became known as ‘Crepelgate’, meaning ‘low gate’ or ‘a gate for creeping through’. The Normans then later corrupted this to ‘Cripple Gate’ and so the parish of Cripplegate came into being.  

From the 14^th century onwards, the ‘Barbican’ developed from just a thoroughfare into a defined and populated locality within this parish. In 1336, Edward III is known to have rewarded one of his favourites, Robert Brandon, the earl of Suffolk, with the gift of 'the manor of Base Court, in the parish of St Giles without Cripplegate of London, commonly called Barbican'.

St Giles Cripplegate
 

In the early years of the 17th century, the Barbican is known to have attracted theatrical types - William Shakespeare lodged for several years with a Huguenot family here, and Ben Jonson also had a house in the parish.  During Cromwellian times, the area became popular with religious non-conformists. John Milton lived here in the mid- 17^th century. By the 18th century, Barbican was a maze of slums and red light areas. By the end of the 19th century these had been replaced by warehouses and train yards.

In December 1940, an area covering 35 acres around the original Barbican site, including every street between Moorgate and Aldersgate Street, was destroyed by incendiary bombs. St Giles Church, though heavily damaged, was left standing. The area was so badly devastated that it was said you could walk half a mile without seeing a single intact building.

In 1954, architects were commissioned to plan what was to be a self-contained community, “a genuine residential neighbourhood, incorporating schools, shops, open spaces and amenities”.  The new development was intended not just to replace buildings lost in the war, but to stem the flow of residents out of London’s historic Square Mile. (From a population of 14,000 in the mid-19th century, by the end of the war there were just 48 people living in the parish of Cripplegate).

The residential part of the project was constructed between 1969 and 1980. The new

estate comprised 2,104 flats, accommodating 6,500 people in a mix of three tall towers (at the time they were the tallest residential buildings in Europe) and seven long terrace blocks of up to 11 storeys. These were arranged around large, round courts or piazzas connected by elevated walkways. Built entirely of concrete, the style used throughout the structure was much influenced by Le Corbusier and, as one critic has said “still has a hint of the fortress”.

As well as accommodation, the site today also includes the Barbican Arts Centre (most of which is below ground level), the City of London School for Girls, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, 12 acres of landscaped garden and an ornamental lake. The Arts Centre, conceived from the outset as the heart of the whole development, was fraught with planning problems and, though signed off in 1960, was not begun until 1971, and then only officially opened in March 1982, having cost 153 million pounds (instead of the 17 million originally quoted) to construct. Many critics felt that the Arts Centre was less successful than the residential elements with one even suggesting that working on the project for so many years had driven the architects insane!

Although the Barbican scheme was originally intended to provide a democratic mix of accommodation, with rents to suit all pockets, that all changed with the arrival of the 1980s property boom. These days most of the homes are privately owned and command sky-high prices. The project still has its critics – many hate the Barbican’s brutalist concrete exterior, its disorienting maze of walkways, landings and stairs – but most admit that the facilities inside the buildings are top-class and millions come each year to enjoy its two art galleries, three cinemas, 2,000-seater concert hall, two theatres, seven conference suites and two trade exhibition halls.

In 2001, the Barbican Estate received Grade II listing as a “site of special architectural interest”.

 

References:

The London Encyclopedia ed. Ben Weinreb et al. (2008)

111 Places in London That You Shouldn’t Miss John Sykes (2016)

A History of London in 100 Places David Long (2014)

Website: http://www.barbicanliving.co.uk/barbican-story/history-of-the-barbican-area/