Serviced Offices in Barbican

The Barbican complex is a estate in the City of London, in an area densely packed with commerce and finance.

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, in 40 acres (160,000 m2) and was officially opened in 1969 and is now home to around 4,000 people living in 2,014 flats. The flats reflect the widespread use in Britain in the 1960s and 1970s of concrete as the visible face of the building.

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. The complex is architecturally important as it is one of London’s principal examples of concrete Brutalist architecture and considered a landmark.

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 Barbican is set firmly the ‘Square Mile’ of the City of London and is very well serviced by tube and rail links, with Barbican, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and Old Street station all within 5 minutes walk.

Barbican Local Attractions

British Museum

The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginning to the present.
The British Museum was established in 1753, largely based on the collections of the physician and scientist Sir Hans Sloane. The museum first opened to the public on 15 January 1759 in Montagu House in Bloomsbury, on the site of the current museum building. Its expansion over the following two and a half centuries has resulted in the creation of several branch institutions, the first being the British Museum (Natural History) in South Kensington in 1887. Some objects in the collection, most notably the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon, are the objects of intense controversy and calls for restitution to their countries of origin.

Tate Modern

Tate Modern is the national gallery of international modern art. Located in London, it is one of the family of four Tate galleries which display selections from the Tate Collection. The Collection comprises the national collection of British art from the year 1500 to the present day, and of international modern art. The other three galleries are Tate Britain, also in London, Tate Liverpool, in the north-west, and Tate St Ives, in Cornwall, in the south-west. The entire Tate Collection is available online.
Created in the year 2000 from a disused power station in the heart of London, Tate Modern displays the national collection of international modern art. This is defined as art since 1900. International painting pre-1900 is found at the National Gallery, and sculpture at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Tate Modern includes modern British art where it contributes to the story of modern art, so major modern British artists may be found at both Tate Modern and Tate Britain.

Tower of London

Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower), is a historic fortress and scheduled monument in central London, England, on the north bank of the River Thames. It is located within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and is separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It is the oldest building used by the British government.
The tower’s primary function was a fortress, a royal palace, and a prison (particularly for high status and royal prisoners, such as the Princes in the Tower and the future Queen Elizabeth I). This last use has led to the phrase “sent to the Tower” (meaning “imprisoned”). It has also served as a place of execution and torture, an armoury, a treasury, a zoo, the Royal Mint, a public records office, an observatory, and since 1303, the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

Places to Eat, Drink & Hotels – Barbican

Eating

Gaucho Smithfield – 93A Charterhouse Street, London EC1M 6HL
Smiths of Smithfield – 67-77 Charterhouse Street, London EC1M 6HJ
Côte Barbican – 57 Whitecross St, London EC1Y 8AA
Searcys Restaurant – The Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS

Drinking

The Sutton Arms – 6 Carthusian St, Barbican, London EC1M 6EB
The Jugged Hare – 49 Chiswell St, London EC1Y 4SA
The Artillery Arms – 102 Bunhill Row, London EC1Y 8ND
The Whitecross Tap – 142-146 Whitecross St, London EC1Y 8QJ

Hotels

Pan Pacific London – 80 Houndsditch, London EC3A 7AB
The Rookery – 12 Peter’s Ln, Cowcross St, London EC1M 6DS
Vintry & Mercer – 19-20 Garlick Hill, London EC4V 2AU

Interesting Facts – Barbican

• The Barbican Estate contains significant residential property set in tower block and low-rise buildings, the Barbican Centre, the Barbican public library, the City of London School for Girls, the Museum of London, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
• The Barbican estate was built between 1965 and 1976, on a 35-acre (140,000 m²) site that was bombed in World War II.
• The design of the Barbican often divides opinion but in September 2001 the complex was made a Grade II listed, due to it’s striking design and cultural significance.
• The Barbican Centre is the largest peforming arts centre in Europe.
• The London Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra are based in the Barbican Centre’s concert hall.
• The second-floor library in the Barbican Centre is one of the five City of London libraries. It is one of the largest public libraries in London and has a separate arts library, a large music library and a children’s library which regularly conducts free events

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