Brutalist Staircase
Located at one end of Bryer Court, a terrace block in the Barbican. The exposed concrete and heavy iron railings and gates are found throughout the complex. The Court is named after W Bryer & Sons, gold refiners and assayers, whose premises were demolished to make way for the building.
The Barbican Estate, or Barbican, is a residential complex of around 2,000 flats, maisonettes, and houses within the City of London. It is in an area once devastated by WWII bombings and densely-populated by financial institutions, 2.2 km north-east of Charing Cross. Originally built as rental housing for middle and upper-middle-class professionals, it remains an upmarket residential estate. It contains, or is adjacent to, the Barbican Arts Centre, the Museum of London, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Barbican public library, the City of London School for Girls and a YMCA (now closed), forming the Barbican Complex. The residential estate consists of three tower blocks, 13 terrace blocks, two mews and The Postern, Wallside and Milton Court.
The entirety is a prominent example of British brutalist architecture and is Grade II listed (apart from one added apartment tower - The Heron). The flats reflect the widespread use in Britain in the 1960s and 1970s of concrete as the visible face of the building. The complex is also characteristic for its total separation of vehicles from pedestrians throughout the area ('slab urbanism'). This is achieved through the use of 'highwalks' - walkways of varying width and shape, usually located 1-3 stories above the surrounding ground level. Most pedestrian circulation takes place on these highwalks, while roads and car parking spaces are relegated to the lower level.
Brutalist Staircase
Located at one end of Bryer Court, a terrace block in the Barbican. The exposed concrete and heavy iron railings and gates are found throughout the complex. The Court is named after W Bryer & Sons, gold refiners and assayers, whose premises were demolished to make way for the building.
The Barbican Estate, or Barbican, is a residential complex of around 2,000 flats, maisonettes, and houses within the City of London. It is in an area once devastated by WWII bombings and densely-populated by financial institutions, 2.2 km north-east of Charing Cross. Originally built as rental housing for middle and upper-middle-class professionals, it remains an upmarket residential estate. It contains, or is adjacent to, the Barbican Arts Centre, the Museum of London, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Barbican public library, the City of London School for Girls and a YMCA (now closed), forming the Barbican Complex. The residential estate consists of three tower blocks, 13 terrace blocks, two mews and The Postern, Wallside and Milton Court.
The entirety is a prominent example of British brutalist architecture and is Grade II listed (apart from one added apartment tower - The Heron). The flats reflect the widespread use in Britain in the 1960s and 1970s of concrete as the visible face of the building. The complex is also characteristic for its total separation of vehicles from pedestrians throughout the area ('slab urbanism'). This is achieved through the use of 'highwalks' - walkways of varying width and shape, usually located 1-3 stories above the surrounding ground level. Most pedestrian circulation takes place on these highwalks, while roads and car parking spaces are relegated to the lower level.