Barbican, Silk Street (6)

Image: © Stephen Richards Taken: 14 May 2011

The YMCA in Fann Street was built in 1965-71, later than the bulk of the estate, but its Brutalist concrete exterior is very much in keeping. Note too the stairs at the foot of the building. The break in the windows towards the top was for staff who also policed the gap between male residents, below, and females, above. Grade II listed. "There is nothing quite like the Barbican Estate in all British architecture", wrote Pevsner. This is attributed to its sheer scale, magnified by the use of concrete, and its segregation of traffic and pedestrians by means of elevated walkways. The estate was the second stage in the Corporation of London's plan to reverse its depopulation as a result of the war (it was built on land ravaged by bombing). The architects chosen were Chamberlin, Powell & Bon, fresh from the City's Golden Lane Estate, work commenced in 1963 and was not completed until 1981. A total of 2,100 flats were built over the 35-acre site, which also includes a school and arts centre. All in all it is an impressive scheme, but the sheer amount of concrete on display renders it less immediately likeable than, say, a Georgian terrace! Sun and blue sky certainly help. Its salubrity, however, gives the lie to the specious idea that large concrete housing estates are intrinsically crime-ridden. That might just have more to do with social issues than the choice of architectural style or building material. It is now listed, quite a feat for so much Brutalism.

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