The Brutalist Barbican estate was built in the second half of the last century as social housing for the middle classes. Today, the attached arts centre offers galleries, performance spaces, cafés, restaurants and a library, along with a fantastic programme of cultural events. The institution runs regular architecture tours of the development, which give a fascinating insight into its history, but it’s worth exploring on your own too. Visitors can also enter its large tropical conservatory on Sundays.
