The Barbican Centre in London has faced significant controversy primarily regarding allegations of systemic racism, a toxic workplace culture, and, more recently, accusations of censorship related to the Gaza war. In 2021, staff published "Barbican Stories," a dossier detailing over 100 instances of discrimination dating back to 2014, including racist abuse and, in some cases, "complicit racism".
Was the Barbican deliberately designed to be hard to navigate? Not quite. The Barbican's nature as an elevated island is due in part to the scrapped Pedways scheme, an initiative that once planned to cover the entire City with an incredible network of raised walkways for the Barbican to plug into.
The name 'Barbican' comes from the low latin word 'Barbecana' for a fortified outpost or gateway. Throughout most of London's history the area now occupied by the Barbican was very poor. It was predominantly encompassed by the ward of 'Cripplegate Without'.
On the night of December 29th, 1940, amidst World War II, heavy bomb raided the City of London. The Luftwaffe has destroyed a 35-acre site in the heart of London to the ground. The site is known as the Barbican.
Discover the Barbican Centre, a vibrant cultural gem nestled in the heart of London. Known for its striking Brutalist architecture, this iconic venue is a hub for the arts, offering a unique blend of contemporary and classic performances.
An icon of Brutalist architecture, the Barbican is one of the UK's architectural treasures. Working with a site almost completely razed by the Blitz, the Barbican's architects, Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, seized the opportunity to propose a radical transformation of how we live in buildings and cities.
The City of London Corporation is the owner, founder and principal funder of the Barbican Centre. Its contribution to the Barbican's overall budget has reduced in recent years, and this is expected to continue.
An IRA detonated a car bomb outside Harrods on December 17th, 1983. It killed six people and wounded 91. This Today in London History podcast tells the horrific tale.
Twenty years ago, London faced one of the darkest periods in its history. On 7th July 2005, attacks in Tavistock Square and near Aldgate, Edgware Road and Russell Square stations struck at the heart of our city, claiming 52 innocent lives and injuring hundreds more.
The heaviest-hit areas of London during the war were the City of London, Holborn, and Stepney, each receiving over 600 bombs per 1,000 acres (4.0 km2), followed by Bermondsey, Deptford, Southwark, and Westminster.
Barbican drinks are generally considered Halal because they are non-alcoholic malt beverages, with some being certified as such, and have been specifically ruled as permissible by religious councils like Malaysia's National Fatwa Council, despite not always carrying the Halal logo, as they contain 0% alcohol and aren't intoxicating. They are a popular alcohol-free alternative, made from quality ingredients, suitable for Muslims seeking halal-certified products.
It was substituted for a painstaking process of pick-and-bush-hammered raw concrete. This is what we now see as Barbican brutalist architecture. A surface effect more closely related to the masonry rustications of an older London than the béton brut of contemporaneous developments like the National Theatre.
According to Historic Royal Palaces, the White Tower is London's oldest building, dating back to the 11th century, when William the Conqueror ruled. Often known as the heart of the Tower of London, the White Tower is the oldest intact building in the capital, that was built to stop foreign invaders.
Architecture Tour Guide, Ian Reichert, revealed the spooky truth: plague pits and skeletons were uncovered during construction of our centre 🪦 Just in time for Halloween, he also shared tales of a regular ghost sighting in the shadows of our concrete corridors 👀
The pressures of work, the disconnected social structure of such a busy city and the sometimes stark surroundings can all have an impact on our psychological state.
The Gherkin. 30 St Mary Axe, previously known as the Swiss Re Building, is a commercial skyscraper in London's primary financial district, the City of London. It is nicknamed The Gherkin after the vegetable of the same name. It was completed in December 2003 and opened in April 2004.
Apart from the bombers, 52 people of 18 different nationalities were killed and nearly 800 were injured in the attacks. It was the UK's deadliest terrorist incident since the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 near Lockerbie and the UK's first Islamist suicide attack.
The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) was responsible for the 1996 Docklands bombing (often called the Canary Wharf bombing), a truck bomb attack in London that killed two people, injured over 100, and marked the end of a major IRA ceasefire, ultimately pushing for peace talks for Northern Ireland. An IRA member, James McArdle, was convicted for his role but later released under the Good Friday Agreement, notes The Guardian and The SAGE Encyclopedia of Terrorism.
On July 7, 1798—15 years after the Revolutionary War ended—Congress rescinds treaties with France and starts two and a half years of what is called the Quasi-War with its former ally.
During the pre-Christmas shopping period, an IRA bomb was detonated at London's most famous department store, Harrods, in Knightsbridge. It killed six people and injured 90 more. This billboard advertising the Evening Standard featured news of the Harrods bombing.
Yes, Harrods does still have a dress code, but it's not overly strict for general browsing; they reserve the right to refuse entry for attire deemed inappropriate, such as sportswear, beachwear, or very dirty/unkempt clothing, though they permit trainers and sportswear in the main store and restaurants. The key is "smart casual" – avoid beachwear, swimwear, flip-flops, or athletic singlets, and aim for presentable, clean clothes to be safe, especially if visiting restaurants where staff might be stricter.
Unlike its northern neighbour, however, the Barbican Estate was not social housing. Rather, it was designed and built for affluent City professionals and their families, with all flats let out at commercial rents by the Corporation of London.
The Barbican is a Grade II listed building complex built after the Second World War. The idea was conceived after bombing destroyed the area - then known as Cripplegate - on 29 December, 1940.
