Barbican Arts Centre
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The Barbican Arts Centre is an arts venue at the eastern edge of the Barbican Estate in the City of London, UK. The London Symphony Orchestra is based in its concert hall.
Barbican Arts Centre opened in 1982, after a long and at times painful gestation which dated right back to the area having been badly bombed during World War II. It is owned, funded and managed by the City of London, the third largest funder of the arts in the UK. It was built as 'the City's gift to the nation' at an historical capital cost of £161 million, equivalent to almost £400 million today[1]. The Barbican Centre was also voted "London's ugliest building" according to a BBC poll in September 2003 [2]. Despite public opinion, the Minister of State for the Arts, Tessa Blackstone, announced in September 2001 that the Barbican complex was to be Grade II listed. It has been designated a site of special architectural interest for its scale, its cohesion and the ambition of the project[3]. The theatre was built as the London home of the Royal Shakespeare Company, who were involved in the original design, but they left, after a series of poor seasons in 2002 to develop their own touring performances. The theatre now stages a wide range of performances by visiting theatre and dance companies. The centre was designed with a complex multi-level layout, making circulation difficult. Efforts have been made since the mid-1990's to improve signage. In 2005-6 a further new signage scheme was introduced and a new internal bridge has been added linking the Silk Street foyer area with the lakeside foyer area. Also, a more generous pedestrian entrance from Silk Street, which had previously been dominated by an entrance for vehicles, was provided. The Museum of London is also within the Barbican Estate, being at Aldersgate. Nearby stations Barbican tube station Moorgate tube station Liverpool Street railway station Hotels near Barbican Arts Centre Wikipedia - Barbican Arts Centre London Tourist Attractions |
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