The Barbican: A Middle Class Council Estate

The Barbican is one of the most remarkable housing estates in the world. Designed in the mid 20th century by British firm, Chamberlin, Powell and Bon and commissioned by the local authority, it is a unique chapter in the story of state-led architecture with much to teach us today.
Written and presented by Phineas Harper. A co-production between The Architectural Review and the Architecture Foundation.
ABOUT THE ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION
For over 20 years, the Architecture Foundation has brought together professionals from across the built environment to discuss and act on issues related to design and the built environment. With a renewed focus on the city and the critical intersection of architecture and politics, the Architecture Foundation works to effect meaningful change on policy and practice.
www.architecturefoundation.org.uk

[@britany1456]

The fact this was made 7 years ago but the end commentary describing the collapse of council housing availablity and UK housing market fragility still persists...

[@maitiug]

exactly

[@abfell2864]

that is exactly what i just wanted to comment when i saw when this was released... Tory ruling...

[@stuartbrown2111]

working class people dont exist any more do they ?

[@cyan1737]

I didn't realise it was uploaded 7 years ago until I saw this comment. Yes it is definitely still a relevant message.

[@jamesespinosa690]

Not at all surprised that they totally failed to mention the mass migration causing the housing shortage.

[@sirobb]

The estate has always struck me as somewhere the staff from the Ministry of Truth would live for their whole lives, either moving to a different apartment as they rise through the ranks or prematurely leaving without trace.

[@MajorCaliber]

Cogent interpretation... there is indeed a "vernacular" expressed in architecture, and while the low-rise units, gardens, water features, and most common areas of "The Barb" are perfectly "private sector" in their expression, the high-rise towers do project a certain ominous "Orwellian/authoritarian/all-must-obey" vibe. =:O

[@smile768]

Absolutely! Best comment ever.

[@h6rma]

First thing that I thought upon seeing it

[@chriszanf]

JG Ballards 'High Rise' comes to mind

[@kevcat8655]

Good comment

[@setamaluka]

Had to deliver food here once. Safe to say it was cold when I arrived at the flat. Sorry.

[@memyselfandmiriam]

Me and some friends had food delivered to one of the flats. It took a while haha. It is a really weird place, the elevator lobbies looks like they belong in a spaceship.

[@jwjgreenwood9806]

Lol 😂

[@Seytonic]

Had the same experience as a Deliveroo rider!

[@nabilomar4631]

I've delivered there from dominos 100 times and i still get confused every time

[@mnchnn]

I can't imagine paramedics trying to reach someone in an emergency then

[@NapoleonGelignite]

I grew up here as a child. The main thing you notice is the quiet - no road noise. The sunken walkways are great, but now you need to be a hedge fund manager to live there.....

[@GUITARTIME2024]

Andy P its awful

[@lapamful]

So definitely need to carpet bomb it then.

[@annother3350]

Raleighman - we get it. You don't like it.

[@alexbutler9442]

A hedge fund manager paying taxes? Ahahahahaha!

[@classicartfoundation639]

@@GUITARTIME2024 no it isn't, the flats inside are beautiful

[@martinbaker6532]

I did laugh at the “even on a miserable English day it still feels visually dynamic and alive” line. While I’ve warmed to The Barbican over the past 30 years, I have a distinct memory of walking through it on a cold, rainy, windy day and it felt like the most miserable place on earth.

[@richbrook101]

I used to work close to there, near Farringdon and on my way to work, I have to see this huge dystopian concrete tower overshadowing all the beautiful former warehouses in the areas. It hasn't grown on me any bit and it's still shocking to be that they are listed buildings.

[@westelaudio943]

It's "so bad, it's good" to me. It's quite ugly, but not a "please tear it down" kind of ugly, because it's also quite impressive, and has those Clockwork Orange aesthetics... Dunno.

[@hb1338]

On a bright sunny day, it's still cold and windy. We have learnt a lot about aerodynamics since the Barbican was built.

[@loveulez]

If you think that's the most miserable you've had an easy life

[@loveulez]

@@hb1338 Have we fuck it's the same on Bishopsgate but worse

[@freeyard1871]

As someone who grew up on other much less pleasant council estates in London, I've always felt sad that I couldn't live somewhere like the Barbican or Golden Lane Estates, which do feel so much less constricting on ones spirit to be in. That there were other estates like this which were clearly much more thought through and built with real intention and perhaps less contempt for the people who were to occupy them. When I was young my dad would take me and my sister on a long bus ride to the Barbican on some weekends just to walk around or go to the cinema. As an adult I still go to sit around there sometimes and listen to the water and take deep breaths within the conservatory. I think my dad realised it was an aspirational environment, compared to the estate we lived in. That is one of the worst things about housing poverty - how the actual architecture of both the interior and exterior can cause one to become so uninspired and disconnected from all of the possibilities outside of it. I saw that with most of the kids I grew up with, how the place in which we grew up decided their narrative. It makes me feel so lucky that I found inspiration in other places that would take me out of the constricting confines of the estates and open my eyes up to the possibility all around me in the rest of the city. It's nowhere near perfect and definitely has its critics, but the Barbican was an architectural practice in possibility within the confines of a harsh city.

[@stirlingmoss4621]

I know what city Council Estates are like. Broken trees, flower beds dug up or trampled, graffiti & dog sh*t a-plenty, the odd burning car at night and the mandatory drug dealers and gangs roaming around. This was built for those who can appreciate it for what it is and not for what it can be turned in to...hell.

[@KazeHorse]

For the low low price of £3000PCM you can live the dream 😂

[@solvdev]

fucking spot on - im in the same situation as you were at the moment, its truly an amazing place which I visit when I want a relax

[@Chucktender69]

I have literally just baught a book called Beauty by Sagmeister and Walsh. Which I am told is about everything you speak of. I managed to find a rare English copy as it’s usually in German. I feel as though I want to recommend it even though I have not read it yet.

[@heatherls4328]

This is really random for a yt comment section but you’ve got such a unique writing style which I really like

[@princeofchetarria5375]

My parents really wanted to live here but couldn’t afford it. It’s not even middle class anymore it’s extremely expensive place to live

[@teefx5681]

Its very expensive

[@teefx5681]

@@totally-not-lost they do and they have spectacular view from the balcony

[@Jonbombs]

@DS it's upper middle class if anything - definitely not for anyone with an average middle class income, it's very expensive even for London

[@Potatoverynice]

@@Jonbombs not even upper middle class, at the very least you would be paying £800k and at most, well, millions.

[@haltendehand1]

@@Potatoverynice'Upper middle class', in Britain, encompasses almost anyone up to an obscene level of wealth. It's perfectly affordable for a regular middle-class person as long as you're willing to rent. Seeing as the Barbican was a rental-only estate to start off with, I don't see why we should take buying prices as any kind of guide of who 'can afford to live there'

[@hexonatapeloop]

I wandered in the other day to look around and got trapped on the wrong side of a moat. I left eventually an hour late via an underground car park past a sign saying No Pedestrians, convinced the whole thing had been designed as a last-ditch military strongpoint for the defence of London, to channel enemy soldiers into a central killing zone from which there would be no escape. Seriously it’s impossible

[@davidjames579]

I agree. The presenter says that it's not obvious to get in, but it's also not obvious to get out.

[@eden5260]

Not obvious to get anywhere It's not pleasant to walk around , it's depressing, it's too big it doesn't align with common sense and it makes you walk 3 times what you meant to

[@avidsquarehead]

I used to live nearby and walked my dog around there often. It’s a bit like IKEA, once you learn the secret entrances/exits and the cut-throughs you can start to enjoy it! Love the Barbican now, it’s otherworldly.

[@armadillito]

What a good comparison! It's a little labyrinthine which keeps human brains entertained.

[@corinacerbu8266]

As a Romanian, I find it to be the most familiar place in London. It’s similar to the communist architecture from the ‘70s. The difference is the space, which is represented by bigger flats and the aesthetics. Communist architecture was uglier because it had a utilitarian purpose (it would have used the same space to house probably twice as many people, sacrificing aesthetics and spaces dedicated to personal use). Although, there’s the myth that social classes were cancelled during communism, that is just not true. Middle-upper class lived in residential areas very similar to Barbican. Bigger apartments, more leisure facilities, distinctive from the rest of the apartment blocks. I find Barbican to be a ‘60s gem.

[@paulholland5270]

Correct ,desiged by communists to.

[@martinhawes5647]

Paul the right wing nutter over here. I'm sure he's accommodating himself of the NHS in his twilight years now.

[@cheezindashower]

@@martinhawes5647 The architects were literally socialists, same with the trellick tower

[@nigelsheppard625]

Well said sir. This sterile area is a Marxist imposition , it emphasises the conformity, lack of Identity and ultimately the exclusivity of Marxist thought. It should be torn down and replaced.

[@redrumax]

romanca si aici. Locuiesc linga Barbican si e nashpa.

[@alexhaworth757]

I've learned more in 5 minutes here than in any other topic ever

[@lb1839]

Barbican always felt like a Star Wars city to me as a kid, it is a wonderful anomaly in the heart of London!

[@sampletexthere]

Well, they did film some of the show Andor there

[@_blank-_]

"wonderful"

[@HelenCrane-jl1nv]

Sh17hole now tho

[@SiLoMixMaster]

Looks like it would make a great COD map

[@BATompsett]

"50,000 people used to live here...now it's the Barbican."

[@mrderrionadams9442]

@@BATompsett 🤩😂😂😂😂

[@dronespace]

@@BATompsett 😂

[@Yorkshiremadmick]

I worked on the Barbican in 1980 There are 3 main types of concrete finish used. The concrete had black granite aggregate added. There was Smooth or Flat concrete, sometimes polished, Bush hammered concrete which achieved a stippling affect and then the Pick Hammered concrete giving the highly textured appearance you referred to. These finishes were done using compressed air Jack hammers. The floors in the crescent around the theatre and concert halls are end grain wood blocks hand laid 3” thick. Barbican Bronze sockets and light fixtures. There’s an amazing site services subway under every where. It’s an impressive place. The Barbican is impressive.

[@lennymice2261]

Thank you for this insightful comment. It complimented the video beautifully.

[@rogerroger5255]

It's ugly as sin.

[@user-cb3kv4fe7]

The Barbican still 'works' because its high maintenance, security, and energy costs are borne by its residents. An un-insulated concrete building of this type with large floor-to-ceiling windows is hugely consumptive of energy. The service charges vary by building and by size of apartment, but in the tower blocks (which have the largest flats, 24-hour doormen, and three high-speed lifts per building in constant service), all-in annual charges can be in the region of £8,000 to £9,000 per flat (before council tax and utilities like water and electricity). There are around 120 flats per tower, so that is about £1m per year the residents of each tower block must contribute to its running and upkeep.

[@Travel_addict_81]

That ia lot of money.

[@extrude22]

TRAVEL ADDICT 81 if you can afford a 3 bed flat in Central London £8000 isn’t a lot of money to you.

[@thisisadebrown]

NoYourself I don't believe that's the point he was making, stating facts that are not mentioned in the video, facts that tarnish the 'amazingness' of the council estate

[@onemorechris]

the point is, it worked originally without all that. You've entirely missed a major point of this video. Please watch it again and think beyond the narrow mindset of Neo conservative capitalism.

[@beachboss7320]

Yeah but thats only cause its for posh people now and they want everything to be high tech and secure, when it was a council block people weren't paying the equivilent of 8k a year ontop of rent and tax...

[@lostgleammedia]

the Barbican is how all of those estates should have been designed.. i always thought council tower block estates could have been improved with better communal spaces and well plant life.

[@vincentdeguard4726]

"better communal spaces and well plant life"...take a lot more than that!

[@gloverdragon6854]

most tower block estates were sort of designed like barbican, with walkways, communal gardens, play areas etc etc, the reason why barbican is a success and most others are not is because the barbican has residents who came with money and prospects....so it doesn't matter if the estate feels secluded, because people with money like seclusion. The other estates were filled with poor people with no prospects, who felt like they were trapped in.

[@GUITARTIME2024]

peter stringer its a dump

[@jaybennaugustine4815]

peter stringer I don't think they can afford to make every estate in London to be like the barbican

[@londontrialscat]

peter stringer The problem is that a lot of people don't understand the meaning of "Nice"... e.g..to have Nice clean organized places and to have nice things. Instead we have people with horrible taste, bad manners, damage to property and littering etc.

[@doctornoz8998]

My aunt has lived in the Barbican since I can remember, and I stayed there a lot as kid. I always loved it, to my child brain it was my standard for what being in central London is like. It’s strange and visually interesting, yet it also feels safe and comfortable. The apartments inside (or at least 2 I have been in) are narrow but long and feel oddly spacious. I would love to live there, if I could ever afford to

[@Earnshawfully]

When I first got to know the place, I found it bewildering and unwelcoming. I lived on the nearby Peabody estate, in Whitecross St. five minutes away. The Peabody estate consisted of very old, simple housing association buildings. I would go to the Barbican centre to use the public spaces for study and visit the exhibitions. A lot of the space was freely accessible. Later, I had a baby and would take her there as a warm place to learn to walk, toddling around the feet of the adults who were there for the theatres! I made friends who lived in the flats. I really liked the low-rise ones, which had a huge, arched window and a vaulted ceiling. The interiors of those were designed compactly, with everything fitted, by someone who had designed for ships.

[@foreignparticle1320]

The first time I encountered this area was going to a concert at the Barbican Centre at night in the middle of Winter. Afterwards, I was genuinely panicked trying to find my way back to the Moorgate tube station in the poorly-lit maze of buildings that surround the complex. Got totally lost and found myself walking deserted streets wondering when I was going to get knifed. The Barbican Estate itself now always evokes a sense of impending doom to me.

[@johnathankain8033]

Thats pretty much what brutalist architecture does really.

[@keeyip319]

If you check how much a flat worth in Barbican estate costs you will be shocked

[@alfiejones374]

i hate getting knifed it happens to me all the time:(

[@niamhoconnell7266]

@@keeyip319 shook

[@patl709]

Had a similar experience myself. If you create a public space you should ensure that people can find there way around it.

[@samcurry7477]

Definetly a random suggested video but stayed until the end. New sub here

[@joenelson3037]

Same here. And I’m an American.

[@TrisGibbons]

This is really interesting and I can see why some people have a soft spot for the Barbican. Before watching the video I just thought it was gross architecture and now I think I understand it a bit better. Thank you!

[@AndrewG975]

Honestly, I think you might be better off trusting your first verdict and instincts. Yes, it's really interesting to hear more about the concept behind the architecture and many of the quirks, but it still looks terrible. If it wasn't for the location, which attracts high earners, it's the sort of thing that would be getting knocked down,

[@haltendehand1]

@@AndrewG975 Nonsense. It was designed for high earners to begin with, with the appropriate standards of design, letting, construction, and maintenance - that's why it succeeded and would never have been in danger of being knocked down. There are some other private estates that are quite similar (e.g. St Georges Field or the Hyde Park Estate in Bayswater) and they've all been roaring successes.

[@adolflenin4973]

@@haltendehand1 r u british?

[@elingrome5853]

U were right the first time... its horrific

[@_blank-_]

@@haltendehand1 It still looks horrible.

[@sarjantray]

Excellent video. Back in the late 60's (1966 to 1969) I served my apprenticeship as a Carpenter joiner with John Laing and spent all 4 years on the tower block that over looked the old brewery at the bottom of Whitecross Street. What an experience that was. I started off working with the shuttering gangs casting the structure of the building, then the first and second fittings of the interior.

[@291studios]

Amazing, it must have been such a unique place to do an apprenticeship! Do you remember what you and your colleagues thought about the design at the time?

[@sharong8511]

Oddly enough, I just learned about shuttering less than two hours ago on a video from an Irish woman. How cool is that? Otherwise I’d be asking you what it is. And now I know. Isn’t knowledge wonderful!

[@ravijuneja]

(It's called Cromwell Tower, in case you've forgotten the name of it)

[@sarjantray]

@@ravijuneja When I worked there it was not named it was just a structure being build

[@jazzydave8453]

I hope you're still alive and kicking my friend I worked on the number of tower blocks fixing floors and had to take everything upstairs as the lifts hadn't been commissioned

[@bigmoose7]

I was born there and lived my whole life and I can tell you that in terms of safety and peacefulness it ranks about 1 in London

[@NortCFC]

Worked there as an engineer for 6 weeks and it was only in the 5th week I felt confident walking around there without getting lost.

[@josephinebennington7247]

I’ve explored it many times, as a non-resident. It always felt lifeless and unwelcoming, suggesting a prison for those who lived there behind its locked glass entrance doors.

[@Reddsoldier]

When people don't understand brutalism it's pretty sad. A lack of maintenance has put a damper on a lot of these buildings, but I can only imagine how futuristic they looked when they were new and the concrete was marble white.

[@thornbird6768]

Reddsoldier Yeah I agree , I love it but I was brought up during the 70’s and looked at these brand new blocks and spaces in awe . They were ultra modern back then , as you so correctly pointed out the maintenance on such large buildings and with so many residencies wasn’t taken into consideration and not 50 years later they are being ripped down , sad I love them .

[@georgefuller8434]

Architecture should age gracefully. With new technology and construction techniques, facades and the superstructure can be separated so that the exterior ages with grace such as Corten steel or properly drained concrete facades. Brutalism was by far a mistake I’m architectural history but has taken a more refined approach lately with a return of brickalism (in campus living. It is romanticised as a solution for post war Britain but like all architecture following a catalogue style it’s meaning is lost in that style and is not strongly related it’s context. The Le corbusier mindset was deranged and the AA-esque henchman that followed his suit have this heir of superiority which is not what architecture is about (in my eyes). It is a piece of structuralist art, at the end of the day but it’s presence served as a basilisk of division and shallow meaning.

[@hb1338]

Except that the concrete was always grey, mid grey in the summer and dark grey when it rained.

[@spencermakote7436]

A fantastic video and insight into the Barbican. Having grown up in London and spent a considerable amount of time at the Barbican itself, I have a real soft spot for it, it feel's welcoming and slightly otherworldly, unlike pretty much every other block built in London. The site has aged really well and is a great example of forward thinking architecture with an enduring legacy.

[@kirstiecowie2141]

I work at St Bart's hospital and I've parked here a few times to work Christmas shifts. The place really is like a fortress. I got hopelessly lost a few times here and somehow ended up in an area a resident had to let me out with a key. There's something quite cool about all the plants tumbling off concrete balconies though.

[@elizabethtoews7866]

My grandparents lived in Great Arthur House . They had lived in the bank at No 1 Princes St. They were the first residents. The biggest problem was the materials used the concrete needed refacing, but the windows were great and the location was terrific. Still in the City and their home territory.

[@HammaneggsAirborne]

I had heard about this in a video a few years back and decided to visit it when I was in London for a month. It's breathtaking, and nails so many of the descriptions at the beginning of this. It feels uninviting when you are simply walking along the main streets, even when it enshrouds you along the covered road, a tunnel through the building really. But then once you find a good place to look in and see the gardens it becomes a place that you want to reside in, communal and dense. I grew up loving Frank Lloyd Wright's work, and this was my discovery of the bizarre Brutalist world beyond him.

[@m0peds]

I worked in the city in the early 90s and spent many hours in the Barbican library, I looked at buying flat there at the time for 70K which would buy a zone 2 terraced house in Archway.

[@m0peds]

@Katrin Dvir That was in 1991 the absolute bottom of the recession, ppl were upside down on their mortgage and houses weren’t selling, I was living in Archway and a mid terrace house came up for 68K, the same house sold in 2007 for 600K.

[@maximyles]

500k house in Zone 3 ? Tough chance. Any freehold house below 500k in London or greater London will be dilapidated.

[@Leila2023_]

@Katrin Dvir real estate is always a good investment in the UK, especially in London.

[@kevinmcguinness6526]

This has to be one of the most beautiful videos on KZbin. It's music, script, and camera effect perfectly compliment the subject being discussed.

[@lynmcs7840]

My fathers family have lived in in Golden for 60 years and two of them still do. I loved visiting them when I was a kid.

[@Incrediblugh]

As someone who grew up on a council estate, I think there's an immense amount of cognitive dissonance towards the issue of class in the uk required in order to appreciate this place for its architecture. Especially considering the price point and the people that live here. Very much reminds me of the cyclicality of fashion in the context of class. The rich will do anything to distance themselves from the poor, even allow their tastes to change to be what the lower class do not want.

[@SarahlovesSerge]

you've put it so well. Thank you

[@ElijahHughes_is_a_mammal]

I took a tour of the Barbican earlier this year knowing nothing about it. I was skeptical at first but the more I explored the more I fell in love.

[@classicartfoundation639]

Me too, I used to deliver Fed Ex packages there and fell in love with the flats. Unfortunately it's a love unfulfilled as I'll never be able to afford it.

[@TheCodik]

I live there and love it. Flat flooded with light. Quiet. Safe. Gardens easily accessible. Right at the center of London.

[@FrancisBarton]

This is really fascinating. I'm not from London but I've been to various cultural events at the Barbican over the years. Always thought it was an unusual corner of London but I didn't know anything of its history nor ever thought of it as a housing estate. Great design - so much of this needs to be brought back into contemporary thinking about council housing with proper facilities for residents so that places can have real heart and be places where people want to live for their whole lives.

[@oliverellis5474]

What a well-made video! A well put together story - with nuance and strength.

[@al201103]

Totally agree - fascinating!

[@simonvinyl]

Sounds like a toff who knows bugger all

[@paddy1437]

nuance and strength....was just thinking the same....not

[@inoxide5454]

and stinky classical music.

[@ColonelForkEyes]

I've always loved the Barbican, it reminds me of the 'indoor cities' we used to see in our 'Book of the future' (by Usborne iirc) that we had in primary school .

[@5k1nn3r99]

I used to work round the corner in Moorgate and would come here and chill on my lunch breaks. A few times I was late back because I got so lost but the more you go, the more you discover and barbican is probably my favourite place in London for a quiet space.

[@homersimpson9062]

Visited the Conservatory last autumn the B has a sense of Orwellian Big brother feel to it

[@franciswright7396]

Just heading to Barbican to take some photos. This was a perfect video to help with my creative thinking

[@casafilms]

Wonderful video. I spent so much of my free time in the 1980s and 90s at the Barbican, and your video revealed so much more than I noticed.

[@xiangyiwang8219]

The first time I went to the barbican centre for a concert, unprepared, and was completely blown by its design. I thought that if utopia does exist this would be its closest form.

[@Nearlydeads]

All of this is amazing! Up here in remote Alaska, all I see is my little cabin and my old pole barn!

[@Ben_B_Artist]

Always wanted to visit Alaska, it just seems so wild up there!

[@tubeuaccount]

Great video but it would be good to touch on the inside spaces as well as the outside. The brutalist design allows very attractive, open indoor spaces. There is even a library which I thoroughly enjoyed exploring.

[@SimFoxSim]

And simple fact that it was not inhabited by "lower classes" (and hence maintained rather than abandoned by authorities) and built to reasonable standards biggest proof that there is nothing wrong with brutalism. Barcelona has quite few of examples of the stile set in some of the most affluent parts of the city and impeccably maintained they look fabulous!

[@braza2013]

I always found that brutamist buildings work well in temperate climates where you have an influx of green vegetation. It looks more dreary in Stoke on a cold and rainy night.

[@loveulez]

@@braza2013 Everything looks more dreary in Stoke though

[@barrowmeoct04]

Love walking through the Barbican , a nice break from the surrounding city chaos. I sometimes go and find a little quiet corner for study time.

[@officialmcdeath]

When my (very academic) parents visited a show flat in the early days of this development, the option for the 'Thinking Man' had precisely 2ft of shelf space for books :-)

[@thornbird6768]

officialmcdeath Really ? Bet the flats were ultra modern though , I like the Barbican very retro

[@MisAnnThorpe]

Perhaps the developers had predicted Kindle.

[@rogerhudson9732]

Sloane Ranger no.1 " I was thinking of getting Henry a book for Christmas " Sloane No.2 " Don't bother, he's already got one".

[@alasdairniven6578]

How many books do you need at one time? The library is well stocked, though the noisiest I've ever been to.

[@redd605]

I passed through elephant and castle,it is so different the high rise flats,and new shop ,and improved traffic layout, getting rid off the underground tunnels,walk,and fence,,has improved the area

[@MisAnnThorpe]

The money being spent there is very obvious, however, without being able to put my finger on it, I find the feel of the area to be very sinister and oppressive.

[@thinker9115]

Thanks so much for this brief but fascinating architectural documentary.

[@WIDBAU]

I used to work minutes from here and would often walk through or go to events there. I’ll be honest, though I’m born and bred in London, I never really knew much about it. Thanks for this video- really interesting and informative. I would say now, Barbican is incredibly expensive.

[@Szaam]

I went to an exhibition at the arts centre a few years ago. It's certainly a strange experience being in there. The script for this video is very nicely written btw!

[@davidbradshaw9647]

I rented one of these flats for a few years. They are beautifully designed, with clever use of space and attention to detail. Though the estate can be very drab on the frequent grey days in London, when the sun comes out, the estate comes alive and there is always something new to discover. I was never a fan before, but for all those criticising, don't knock it until you've tried it.

[@leonh67]

👍👍 I was there a couple weeks ago Check out my new travel vlog channel, please 🙏 Thanks 😊

[@Brascofarian]

I never understood The Barbican when I lived in London. Having watched this video, I now understand that was by design. It looks like a place with a lot of management overheads.

[@bw4500]

I really like the Barbican, it is a special place globally. I've been to London 3 times & have made a point of visiting each time.

[@IndigoJo]

The Barbican is not exactly a council estate; the City of London does not have a council as such but is governed by the guilds which nowadays represent businesses such as banks, insurers and retailers who own or rent most of the buildings; only a minority of the buildings are residential and most residents live in the Barbican and one or two other Corporation of London developments. This is why the Barbican remains a liveable and prestigious public development while other council estates such as the Heygate have become decrepit and then been sold off; the laws for the City of London are different to those for ordinary councils such as Southwark. Architecturally it shares features with other public housing from the same period, but if any other local authority had put up a similarly ambitious development with museums, concert halls etc, it would have suffered the same fate as the Heygate.

[@hb1338]

Complete nonsense. The local government organisation for the City of London is the Corporation of London, which is organised and run according to the same laws as every other local government in the country. The only exception is that businesses located in the City which pay council tax are also entitled to vote in local elections. The same right should apply in other municipalities, but is usually suppressed - in the City it is guaranteed under the Magna Carta.

[@haltendehand1]

The part about the various estates isn't entirely true - the Corporation of London *has got* a number of social housing estates, including the Golden Lane Estate just next to the Barbican. They're well run, by and large, but do face the 'usual' council estate problems. The Barbican was not intended to be and never was social housing. Though it is managed by the Corporation, the waiting list was different one, the requirements to get a flat were very different (essentially you had to have a middle or upper middle class office job), and the rents were drastically higher. Which is why it succeeded: it was built to a huge budget, to excellent standards, and extremely well-maintained as the Corporation's 'show piece'.

[@millardfillmore241]

I lived there briefly in the 90's it was a weird place to live.

[@millardfillmore241]

@@TUTENSKENGS There were often police with guns guarding residents and visitors.

[@haltendehand1]

@@TUTENSKENGS That tends to happen when you have quite a few politicians and slightly dodgy business types living in a place - Scargill was certainly under armed guard for many years when he lived there, as was John Smith when he was Leader of the Opposition

[@RexCymru]

Remember going to a gig at the Barbican and being blown away by how cool the toilets were - sort of Kurbrickian retro-futuristic

[@traderbarry9139]

I used to work in Farringdon, and on lunch breaks from time to time I would get a coffee and just walk around the Barbican it’s a pretty mental place to just wonder about

[@djspark191]

I also used to work in Farringdon but always felt like I wouldn't be welcome there for some reason 😅

[@Ozymandi_as]

Very good! I think the insularity of the design made the Barbican a difficult place to love for people who did not live there, but would wander the made of walkways in search of the theatre, concert hall, cinemas and exhibition spaces contained within. They were public buildings without public form, and without public entrances. The RSC was never happy with its new London home, and the LSO carried an aura of being a well-kept secret. Ssshhh! - the arts are are for the prosperous middle-class.

[@plxton]

I have a hunch the film 'High-Rise' was loosely based on this estate, but instead of working, the walled off catsle turned into turmoil.

[@yuenkokleong]

My exact thought when I watched this!

[@random_name3977]

It's not based on "this estate" because it's based on a book from 1975, and "this estate" is not particularly original either. It's actually pretty representative of a large brutalist movement that was all over the world.

[@shanebrock1748]

@@random_name3977 Ballard did base highrise from the Barbican. www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/mar/13/high-rise-jg-ballard-towering-vision-film-tom-hiddleston

[@llanieliowe794]

As a child, I lived in The Red Road flats in Glasgow, it was very unpleasant social housing and eventually we were moved out because they wanted to demolish the tower we were in. This looks far nicer, I do hope they never demolish these.

[@youtubeus3rname]

The most British thing I've watched in a while. Loved it!

[@SongBillong]

What a fascinating place; I had no idea. Thanks for such an informative video!

[@lightoftheworld417]

Ah living the dream, 60 hour work week, and back home to a grey concrete brutalist jungle.

[@MrClayJohn]

Depends what you like i guess, I lived there for a year when I was 21 and it was like living in the future. Walking distance to everything I wanted to do and see, amazing views. Loved it!

[@erynn9968]

The alternative is taking a huge wheely bin to your back garden through your sparkling clean kitchen and google how to deal with mice in your idyllic home. Really relaxing after a long day.

[@Jaa_morant]

We were on a school trip to London once back in the years, every day we had some free time from 4 to 9 pm and after that had to return to our hotel. While my mates were hangin around the main places of interest like Baker Street and etc, ive decided to visit Barbican and oh my god, that was an unforgettable experience! Sad thing i didnt make photos cuz my phone camera was trash and its was getting dark, but the atmosphere of Barbican is something i ll never forget. Would have spent more hours there if not for this time resttictions we had. I hope i revisit this place one day....

[@ROCKINGMAN]

My great friend lived at Thomas More house, 1972 -1992. One day I was watching the Peter Sellers film 'Two-Way Stretch' at his flat and noticed the strange roof you see at 1:20 in this film. The Golden Lane Estate was partly used in the Ealing comedy.

[@suginami123]

My family live very close by and the towers look handsome at night. I would love to see a lot more of the interiors.

[@vincentvermeulen6703]

I stayed there in the mid 80s for about half a year in an apartment under the rounded arches. I really enjoyed the walkways and the inside greenery, but I did not find it connected to the city outside. One side was vibrant but the other quite gloomy, disconnected.

[@mikemcsweeney4753]

I worked part of my plumbing apprenticeship between 1972 to 1974.. Mostly on the Shakespeare tower.. Boy was it cold in winter. And all the trouble with the blackouts. Happy Days.

[@SimFoxSim]

Barbican is awesome! Work of Art! Monument to the time!

[@jbraggzino1380]

I've lived in london for 20 years + and still dont know how you get in to this place

[@maxshowler1633]

Love that ‘saw tooth rhythm’ line, alas they are square tooth rhythmic blocks to me

[@Kung_Fu_Jesus]

As a synth player that was a glaring mistake. Glad others picked up on it.

[@willybigspuds]

Love the Barbican, what a gem

[@inocybenapipes4949]

Great film. It is nice to see brutalism that actually worked as intended. It fascinates me that so many examples have failed and are synonymous with urban decay and soical alienation. While location and afluence are probably important in the Barbican's case, I wonder also how much it owes it's sucess to how 'complete' and and well thought out project was. I secretly hope it is like the filme Highrise in reality though.

[@hb1338]

The problem with so many architectural fads is that the architects do not understand or even attempt to understand the thoughts and feelings of the people who actually live in the buildings they create.

[@Picnicl]

Brutalist architecture was often done exceptionally well in England, particularly in theatres, in London, and in university buildings. It took some influence from modernism yet was also postmodernist. Aztec temples, Le Corbusier, possibly World War 2 bunkers - the influences gelled in to fortess-like structures perfectly in keeping with centuries old traditions of castle building. Britain's best are often amongst the world's best. Any attempt to demolish any should be vigourously examined because some are exceptional, mathematical, sculptures that are imaginative and no-nonsense at the same time.

[@thornbird6768]

Victoria Road estate , stunning , I love it

[@Darren79]

As much as I find the estate incredibly ugly, I've spent many a happy afternoon there taking photos as it's so inspiring.

[@josephbrennan-davison]

Darren79 You must have a like for the estate, if you take multiple photos there. If you found it so ugly then you would be resentful to go there.

[@Lou-pole]

My first experience of the Barbican was doing a commercial photo shoot in the rooftop gardens, it was amazing it was for piz buin suntan cream ... it really did look tropical.

[@ephemera...]

Informative and insightful. Gave me much to ponder about with regard to public housing, the aesthetics of concrete, which I personally love, cities and public design.

[@cdgh99]

Architecturally interesting it maybe but these types of developments generally don't work because of the huge maintenance costs. Being near the City of London will ensure its survival because of the affluent tenants it attracts. Brutalist buildings tend to fit uncomfortably in UK towns because of their traditionally understated style but I guess London is big enough to absorb this great hulk.

[@maygodforgiveus]

Its in the City of London

[@G96Saber]

Only intellectuals could delude themselves so fully as to believe in the modernist aesthetic.

[@endoftheroad10090]

Dystopian AF

[@sentientarugula2884]

But beautiful

[@Dragl1d3]

@@sentientarugula2884 nah mate, it looks really bad

[@Raul-nm2me]

I worked near The Barbican for many years... we used to love to go to the fountain area at lunch time, or indoors in the cold weather, or just walk all around its numerous walkways. It did take a bit of time to get your bearings at first. I used to think that it would be nice to live there, just 5 minutes from the office. Although some of those flats looked like they may have been freezing cold in winter..

[@haltendehand1]

You may be cheered to know that electric underfloor heating (along with porterage etc etc) is provided as part of the service charge (or rent). Keeps the flats quite toasty generally

[@dwjudd]

Great architecture but you either hate it or love it. Great for a stroll around. Ive lived there, moved out but want to go back

[@Sw33t_Psycho]

who got this in recommendation 5 years later!!!

[@petrosros]

It is a beautiful place, I have walked it many times over the years, and my kids enjoyed its natural strangeness. Having watched it being built when I started work in the city in 1970, it became a bastion of union employer conflicts, the project was stopped and only half built, due to costs, corruption and constant conflicts. At the same time, the City of London, fearing its unique Independence, began a policy of removing its human stock from the City. So the Cities population, never very large, was reduced to just over 8000, from nearer to 40,000 in the seventies. They could easily afford to buy land in nearby boroughs and rehouse people. Back in the seventies I saw a two bedroomed flat for lease at about nine thousand pounds, I am not sure how long the lease was. You missed out the Library, probably London's best public Library. And the vast security protected underground parking and service area, well lit, with lifts too where ever you need to go. Funny, the notorious North Peckham estate had a similar layout, but a very different feel.

[@djslybacon]

‘Natural strangeness’ it’s literally a man made building …

[@petrosros]

@@djslybacon I know, as I said I watched it being built. You certainly live up to your handle, pick me up on my English, you have obviously never been there , or like trolling, well you wound me up. you gut less creep.

[@jonjon296]

I've never heard of the Barbican but I'm definitely checking it out next time I'm in london. Great video!

[@tompommerel2136]

Revolting then and very much now. I am very excited by what youtube's the Aesthetic City is achieving in urban architecture with the return to the human scale, traditional canons of form, function & ornament, and especially BEAUTY, the dirty word among modern & post-modern architects with inflated egos.

[@whatamalike]

"Local authorities were forced to sell off their housing stock at HUGE discounts, but were prevented from reinvesting that money in new buildings." So yeah, to all those who voted Tory in 79, 83 and 87 in particular and then bought their 3 bed council semi for like 50p; from a chap born in 1990 having no choice for decent housing beyond staying with parents or private renting (and hope I don't get a shit landlord), thanks a bloody bunch :/

[@Blaqjaqshellaq]

Privatization is the great scam of our age! (New Labour's most disgraceful failure was their passive acceptance of it: privatization was bad for the people, but renationalization would offend the Big People...)

[@wclifton968gameplaystutorials]

+James Matthews privatisation helps no one but those with pockets stocked of cash and nationalisation only helps the government spend more money than needed because they arent the ones funding the projects that don't work but rather the tax payer, if the government wanted to spend as little cash as possible then heygate estate in elephant as castle would've never been demolished and rather modernized. we just need our government to find companies willing to offer as little cash as possible or need government companies made to turn a profit and when failing earn a subsidy based on market value

[@thisisadebrown]

It's easy for a young fellow now to knock what happenedcomma but bearing in mind the Conservative Party were voted in after a vote of no confidence, after the popular said been forced into striking action. After a period where for the first time in history all the nurses had gone on strike, everybody was striking, local parks even Piccadilly Square were used as rubbish grounds because there was no one to pick up the rubbish, there wasn't even anybody to bury the dead. Britain the just gone through the winter of Discontent. How it was done can be argued, but everybody owning their own house for a reasonable amount of money was used to restart the economy, we had just gone through a dark time of socialism. you could also argue that successive governments both Labour and conservative and acted as sock puppets to the banks

[@tonedowne]

1970s Britain had become dysfunctional and change was needed. But the revolution that the 1980s saw, was unbelievably short sighted and socially destructive. Selling council houses could have been a great thing as it could have prevented ghettoisation, but the ban on replenishing the stock just meant that the ladder was pulled up behind that generation. The decoupling of lending from earning really lit the match that exploded house prices though. The old limit of 3x your wage really kept a lid on prices. High prices mean high rent more than any other factor. I wouldn't be surprised if loads of those Barbican flats are empty gold brick investments these days.

[@rosiefay7283]

Another thing that changed was that living in a high-rise block of flats became less desirable particularly after the Ronan Point disaster in 1968.

[@ELPaso1990TX]

Great video. What amazes me is why other estates like the Heygate estate in Southwark can't be like the Barbican. There are a lot of estates like Barbican across Britain in places like Glasgow but they are no-go areas ravaged by gangs, drugs and crime. The narrow alleyways and lack of obvious entrances makes policing places like Barbican very difficult and these secluded walk ways are havens for muggers etc. Even with CCTV there are too many blind spots where crime can take place. Also I've noticed in the video, is the lack of graffiti and vandalism. How is barbican an exception and a success story unlike our many other lawless estates? Can other estates learn from how people behave better in Barbican, how their other estates can flourish rather than be hostile no-go areas?

[@cdgh99]

In a word, Money. Barbican is right near the city of London and so has always attracted the more affluent. Other estates were left to sort term tenants and became almost a charity funded by the state rather than a public service, especially after Thatcher. They were not maintained because these buildings are very expensive to look after and councils found the size increasingly difficult to sustain or they were unwilling to keep pumping money into what was seen as a dead end. Instead of being for the working classes they became full of unemployed people and the social problems that come with that. The opposite was the case for Barbican. Also the pressure from the private sector to get hold of the valuable land on which places like Heygate stood encouraged councils to send in the wrecking ball.

[@jonesconrad1]

City of london police is the short answer

[@gloverdragon6854]

because barbican was set up for people who had money and prospects....the title and video tells you this. you see when you already have money and prospects there is no reason to involve yourself in crime....its yet again proof that people don't do crime for the kicks, they do it because they are poor with lack of opportunity for bettering

[@tomthornton6259]

As other people have said, it's mainly money..but also location, and who owns it! Money has allowed for expensive yet good design, versus other estates which were (in most cases) done on the cheap! The City of London corporation, a complicated and fascinating concept in it own right, owns and manages the estate, which unlike the average local authority has the power and (you guessed it) money to upkeep the place. It's location also, not only in the city, but near very central landmarks like moorgate and st.Pauls allowed rather non-working class institutions such as the guildhall school, COL girls school, and of course the barbican centre to be inbuilt. So a mixture of money, location, ownership, 2 world-renowned private schools and a home for the LSO all helps to make it like no other publicly-owned estate

[@alexrettig7402]

Another reason also mentioned is that there were several different sizes and price points of dwelling offered. Crime and hopelessness intensifies when you try to wall it off and shove it into a ghetto, but when you allow people to mingle it benefits everyone.

[@jpinguela]

Sensacional. Vivo no Brasil e gosto de arquitetura. Esse projeto nasceu quando eu nasci e só hoje em 2020 descubro ele tão belo e prático. Palmas.

[@leonh67]

👍👍 I was there a couple weeks ago Check out my new travel vlog channel, please 🙏 Thanks 😊

[@felipec.2854]

Morando em Brasília é muito legal ver arquitetura modernista ao redor do mundo

[@jackwoodham2071]

Excellent video. This gentlemen's knowledge is a pleasure to listen to

[@starlight76able]

I am a Londoner and a VERY proud one and there is nowhere in London have not been to or know , it is not just central London have to explore and know must know the entire London , sadly not born there boy I am glad I have the accent . The Barbican is another place in London know very well , knew people who lived for some years and eventually moved out. One of the nicest areas in London and the world

[@cbrown182]

The narrator sounds like he went on a creative writing course before he wrote the script and wanted to use as much of what he had learnt as possible.

[@joelgriffiths2852]

Do you meant narrator?

[@cbrown182]

@@joelgriffiths2852 maybe I could do with attending one too

[@mal6780]

😂

[@mal6780]

@@joelgriffiths2852 do you mean mean? 😂

[@SLK464]

looooool

[@v.a.993]

I wish this video were longer. Very good content.

[@Dev1nci]

Such an amazing documentary guys please make more 😃

[@lndnflms484]

The textured pillars were not carved out by hand, as the presenter Phineas Harper states. I lived there in the 70s when it was still being built and I remember the Laing workers using pneumatic drills to do that.

[@Dev1nci]

D Rowley How did they get the drills to make contact with the pillars? The force? Robot Arm? The drill’s own will?

[@classicartfoundation639]

D Rowley Pedantic much? Lol

[@willamenasmith6444]

@@Dev1nci 😂 😂 😂

[@Dev1nci]

@@willamenasmith6444 HAHAHAH I love a bit of sarcasm.

[@MisAnnThorpe]

@@Dev1nci Especially when it's your own.

[@GOLDSMITHEXILE]

I worked as a security guard there many years ago. I remember thinking why would anyone want to create buildings with concrete walls that remind you of old WW2 pillar boxes? The butcher block wood floor was hugely impressive though

[@minuram.3636]

Extraordinary!!!

[@seansmith445]

It works because it is populated by middle class people. If they had of put poor people in it would have become a crime ridden dump like most other inner city council estates of that era.