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, a cinema, 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 selected days (book free tickets online in advance).
