PRE-ORDER a copy of The Barbican Book, estimated shipping from the week commencing 16th November.

Available exclusively at the Barbican.

For more than four decades the Barbican has occupied a singular place in London’s urban and cultural landscape. One of the defining works of postwar architecture, it is a neighbourhood to a community of over 4,000 residents, as much as it is a world-class arts centre. Across its highwalks and public spaces, and in its theatres, concert hall, galleries, cinemas, library, conservatory and cafés, artists create and audiences gather.

Conceived in the aftermath of the Second World War by what its architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon imagined as a ‘city within a city’ bringing together homes, schools, gardens, lakes and an arts centre, the Barbican Estate offered a transformation of English domestic life. When the Barbican Centre opened in 1982 the complex was so radical, so visionary that even Queen Elizabeth II was compelled to describe it as ‘one of the wonders of the modern world’. Few would have agreed with her at the time, but over the decades people have come to appreciate the Barbican’s obvious qualities. The Centre now sits in the heart of the City of London as a much-loved model of urbanity.

Drawing on original essays, personal reflections, photography and a rich historical archive, The Barbican Book explores the spaces and stories of one of Britain’s most influential cultural institutions, revealing the many worlds that bring this landmark to life.

Paperback, 144 pages

Dimensions: 17cm x 24cm, Landscape