The Barbican Centre is a

performing arts centre Performing arts center/centre (see spelling differences), often abbreviated as PAC, is used to refer to: * A multi-use performance space that is intended for use by various types of the performing arts, including dance, music and theatre. :The ...

in the

Barbican Estate The Barbican Estate, or Barbican, is a residential complex of around 2,000 flats, maisonettes, and houses in central London, England, within the City of London. It is in an area once devastated by World War II bombings and densely populate ...

of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and

contemporary music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included seria ...

concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and

art exhibitions An art exhibition is traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhi ...

. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory. The Barbican Centre is a member of the

Global Cultural Districts Network ThGlobal Cultural Districts Network (GCDN)is a federation of global centers of arts and culture. Its members represent cities, cultural districts, and cultural institutions from around the world, including Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, ...

. The

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

and the

BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. T ...

are based in the centre's Concert Hall. In 2013, it once again became the London-based venue of the Royal Shakespeare Company following the company's departure in 2001. The Barbican Centre is owned, funded, and managed by the City of London Corporation. It was built as the City's gift to the nation at a cost of £161 million (equivalent to £480 million in 2014) and was officially opened to the public by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

on 3 March 1982. The Barbican Centre is also known for its

brutalist architecture Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the ba ...

Performance halls and facilities

* Barbican Hall: capacity 1,943; home of the London Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. * Barbican Theatre: capacity 1,156; designed exclusively by and for the Royal Shakespeare Company * The Pit: flexible 200-seat theatre venue * Barbican Art Gallery and the free new-commission gallery The Curve * Barbican Film: 3 cinema screens with

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

of 288, 156 and 156 * Barbican Library: Public lending library with special collections in arts and music * Restaurants: 3 * Conference halls: 7 * Trade exhibition halls: 2 * Informal performance spaces The second-floor library 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. The Barbican Library houses the 'London Collection' of historical books and resources, some of which date back 300 years, all being available on loan. The library presents regular literary events and has an art exhibition space for hire. The music library has two free practice pianos for public use.

History and design

The Barbican Centre had a long development period, only opening some years after the surrounding

housing complex had been finished. It is situated in an area which was badly bombed during World War II. The Barbican Centre, designed by

Peter Chamberlin Peter Hugh Girard Chamberlin (31 March 1919, London – 23 May 1978, Berkshire), most commonly known as Joe Chamberlin, was a post-War English architect most famous for his work on the Barbican Estate in London. Biography Chamberlin was born o ...

, Geoffry Powell and Christoph Bon of

Chamberlin, Powell and Bon Chamberlin, Powell and Bon was a British firm of architects whose work involved designing the Barbican Estate. They are considered one of the most important modernist architectural firms in post-war England. Formation The practice was founded ...

in the

Brutalist Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the ba ...

style, has a complex multi-level layout with numerous entrances. Lines painted on the ground help would-be audience members avoid getting lost on the walkways of the

, within which the centre is located, on the way to it. The Barbican Centre's design – a concrete ziggurat – has always been controversial and divides opinion. It was voted "London's ugliest building" in a Grey London poll in September 2003. In September 2001, arts minister Tessa Blackstone announced that the Barbican Centre complex was to be a Grade II listed building. It has been designated a site of special architectural interest for its scale, its cohesion and the ambition of the project. The centre was designed by architectural practice

, who were also responsible for the upscale residential area surrounding the centre (the

), as well as the nearby Golden Lane Estate. Project architect John Honer later worked on the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

at St Pancras – a red brick ziggurat. In the mid-1990s, a cosmetic improvement scheme by

Theo Crosby Theo Crosby (3 April 1925 – 12 September 1994) was an architect, editor, writer and sculptor, engaged with major developments in design across four decades. He was also an early vocal critic of modern urbanism. He is best remembered as a found ...

, of the Pentagram design studio, added statues and decorative features reminiscent of the Arts and Crafts movement. In 2005–2006, the centre underwent a more significant refurbishment, designed by architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris and

Roger Westman Roger Ulick Branch Westman (16 September 1939 - 29 April 2020) was a British architect. Early life and education Westman was born at Jarrow, County Durham in 1939, the eldest son of Kenneth Westman, a diplomat stationed in Madrid. He attende ...

, which improved circulation and introduced bold signage in a style in keeping with the centre's original 1970s

Brutalist architecture Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the ba ...

. That improvement scheme added an internal bridge linking the Silk Street foyer area with the lakeside foyer area. The centre's

Silk Street Silk Street (, Xiushui Street, literally meaning "beautiful water Street"), aka Silk Market or Silk Street Market, is a shopping center in Chaoyang District, Beijing, that accommodates over 1,700 retail vendors, notorious among international to ...

entrance, previously dominated by an access for vehicles, was modified to give better pedestrian access. The scheme included removing most of the mid-1990s embellishments. Outside, the main focal point of the centre is the lake and its neighbouring terrace. The theatre's fly tower has been surrounded by glass and made into a high-level conservatory. The Barbican Hall's acoustic has also been controversial: some praised it as attractively warm, but others found it too dry for large-scale orchestral performance. In 1994, Chicago acoustician Larry Kirkegaard oversaw a £500,000 acoustic re-engineering of the hall "producing a perceptible improvement in echo control and sound absorption", music critic Norman Lebrecht wrote in October 2000 – and returned in 2001 to rip out the stage canopy and drop adjustable acoustic reflectors, designed by Caruso St John, from the ceiling, as part of a £7.5 mn refurbishment of the hall. Art music magazine '' Gramophone'' still complained about "the relative dryness of the Barbican acoustic" in August 2007. The theatre was built as the London home of the Royal Shakespeare Company, which was involved in the design, but decided not to renew its contract in 2002 after claiming a lack of performing space, plus the artistic director,

Adrian Noble Adrian Keith Noble (born 19 July 1950) is a theatre director, and was also the artistic director and chief executive of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1990 to 2003. Education and career Noble was born in Chichester, Sussex, England. After le ...

, wanting to develop the company's touring performances. The theatre's response was to extend its existing six-month season of international productions, "Barbican International Theatre Event", to the whole year. On 23 January 2013

Greg Doran Gregory Doran (born 24 November 1958) is an English director known for his Shakespearean work. ''The Sunday Times'' called him 'one of the great Shakespearians of his generation'. Doran was artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RS ...

, RSC artistic director, announced the company's return to the Barbican Centre in a three-year season of Shakespeare's history plays. The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where the Barbican Centre theatrical performances are occasionally staged, and the City of London's Barbican Library, neither part of the centre, are also on the site. The

Museum of London The Museum of London is a museum in London, covering the history of the UK's capital city from prehistoric to modern times. It was formed in 1976 by amalgamating collections previously held by the City Corporation at the Guildhall Museum (fou ...

is nearby at

Aldersgate Aldersgate is a Ward of the City of London, named after one of the northern gates in the London Wall which once enclosed the City. The Ward of Aldersgate is traditionally divided into Aldersgate Within and Aldersgate Without, the suffix deno ...

, and is also within the Barbican Estate.

In popular culture

In literature

The Barbican Centre features in

Michael Paraskos Michael Paraskos, FHEA, FRSA (born 1969) is a novelist, lecturer and writer on art. He has written several non-fiction and fiction books and essays, and articles on art, literature, culture and politics for various publications, including '' Art ...

's novel ''In Search of Sixpence'' as the home of the lead character, Geroud, and also a bar called "The Gin Bar" loosely based on the Gin Joint bar at the Barbican Centre.Michael Paraskos, ''In Search of Sixpence'' (London: Friction Fiction, 2015)

TV and film

The centre has been used as a filming location for numerous TV shows and films, including the BBC series

Luther Luther may refer to: People * Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation * Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement * Luther (gi ...

and in the Disney+ series Andor.

Gallery

File:London Barbican Hall LSO a.jpg, The Barbican Hall of the Barbican Centre File:Barbican Arts Centre stage door - geograph.org.uk - 1408504.jpg, The Barbican Centre stage door File:Barbican Foyer.JPG, The Barbican Centre foyer File:Barbican Interior 1.JPG, Interior of The Barbican Centre File:Barbican Interior 4.JPG, Entrance of The Barbican Centre File:Barbican Interior 5.JPG, Shot of The Barbican Centre's ceiling File:Barbican Centre night 2011 2.jpg, The Barbican Centre at night File:Barbican library (7049041697).jpg, The entrance to the Barbican Library File:Jewin Crescent.jpg, Jewin Crescent - Barbican before the Barbican

Nearby railway stations

Barbican tube station Barbican is a London Underground station situated near the Barbican Estate, on the edge of the ward of Farringdon Within, in the City of London in Central London. It has been known by various names since its opening in 1865, mostly in referen ...

Farringdon station Farringdon is a London Underground and connected main line National Rail station in Clerkenwell, central London. The station is in the London Borough of Islington, just outside the boundary of the City of London. Opened in 1863 as the terminu ...

Liverpool Street railway station Liverpool Street station, also known as London Liverpool Street, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, in the ward of Bishopsgate Without. It is the ...

Moorgate tube station Moorgate is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station on Moorgate in the City of London. Main line railway services for Hertford, Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage and Letchworth are operated by Great Northern, ...

St Paul's tube station St Paul's is a London Underground station located in the City of London financial district. The station, which takes its name from the nearby St Paul's Cathedral, is on the Central line, between Bank and Chancery Lane stations, and is in ...

References

External links

*
The history of the Barbican Estate

Stay with Barbican Centre hotels

Analysis of the centre after 20 years.

Interview with Alex Webb at The Barbican

Italian restaurant, Osteria, located on the second floor of the Barbican Centre
{{authority control Barbican Estate 1982 establishments in England Art museums and galleries in London Arts centres in London Music venues completed in 1982 Concert halls in London Dance in London Event venues established in 1982 Grade II listed buildings in the City of London London Symphony Orchestra Museums in the City of London Theatres in the City of London Brutalist architecture in London