York Barbican is an indoor entertainment venue located in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. Named after the nearby

barbican A barbican (from fro, barbacane) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe In the Middle A ...

attached to

Walmgate Bar York has, since Roman times, been defended by walls of one form or another. To this day, substantial portions of the walls remain, and York has more miles of intact wall than any other city in England. They are known variously as York City Wal ...

, the venue hosts a busy calendar of live music, comedy and sports, as well as business events and conferences. It has a 1,500 seating capacity and a 1,900 standing capacity. York Barbican is the host venue for the second biggest-ranking

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six pockets, one at each corner and one in the middle of each long side. First played by British Army officers stationed in ...

tournament, the

UK Championship The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is one of snooker's prestigious Triple Crown events, along with the World Championship and the Masters. It is usually held at the Barbican Centre, York. Ronnie O'Sullivan ...

, and has done so from

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...

, and then from

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

onwards. The centre is located on the southern end of

city centre, opposite the

city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

History

The current facility was built in 1989 at a price of £15 million by York Council, adding to a swimming pool, which had been previously constructed on the site in 1980. The 1989 construction added a sports hall and auditorium, with a climbing wall facility, café and bars. Despite offering the largest concert facility and a wide range of classes and local events (such as the annual York Interschool Battle of the Bands), York Barbican consistently made losses while it was operated by the council, and in 2000, both the swimming pool and new facilities were placed on the market in a bid to pass them on to private management. By 2003, a single bidder had emerged as the preferred company to develop the site. Proposals to build new swimming facilities were part of the plans. However, a local group of residents, 'Save Our Barbican' (S.O.B.) spearheaded local opposition to the proposals circulated in the public consultation. Later planned developments suggested apartments on the site, or a casino and nightclub facility. By the end of 2004, with no plans accepted and a legal case going forward by the resident group, York Barbican was closed and lay empty for years to come. The swimming pool building was demolished, and the 1989 building began to show signs of weathering and vandalism and closed down. In spring 2011, it finally reopened after a £1.5 million refurbishment, owned by the council but managed by ASM Global, an international venue operator. On 19 June 2021, a local group of squatters moved into the demolished swimming pool and reclaimed it as "Barbican Community Centre". They claim they are stopping the land - which has been empty for 15 years - from being developed into expensive student accommodation.

Notable events

The Liberal Democrats regularly hold the Liberal Democrat Conference at the venue.Roger Mortimore and Andrew Blick, ''Butler's British Political Facts'', Palgrave Macmillan 2018, p. 274 & 275. The venue hosts the

UK Snooker Championship The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is one of snooker's prestigious Triple Crown events, along with the World Championship and the Masters. It is usually held at the Barbican Centre, York. Ronnie O'Sullivan ...

, as featured on the BBC. In 2019, the venue hosted the Conservative Party Hustings, between Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson. The venue is a popular concert venue with hundreds of events each year.

References

External links

https://asmglobal.com/ *
The 'Save Our Barbican' Site
{{Authority control Commercial buildings completed in 1989 Indoor arenas in England Snooker venues Buildings and structures in York Culture in York Event venues established in 1989 Music venues in North Yorkshire