{"product_id":"golden-lane-and-barbican-architecture-walking-tour-saturday-2-may-2026-11am","title":"Golden Lane and Barbican Architecture Walking Tour - Saturday 2 May 2026 11am","description":"\u003cp data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\" class=\"sqsrte-large\"\u003eJoin Open City for a walking tour exploring London’s iconic Golden Lane and Barbican estates\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThe walk — led by Barbican resident Francis Pugh — will explore the bold, modernist vision of the architects Chamberlin, Powell \u0026amp; Bon who created both Golden Lane and the Barbican estates on the north west fringes of Square Mile over three decades.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIt will also delve into the contributions of politicians and planners who sought to promote a new kind of inner city living — one which emphatically rejected the anti-urban ideals of the bucolic and suburban Garden City movement. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eBefore it was devastated by wartime bombing, this area had been dominated by warehouses and industrial premises. From 1952 to 1982, Chamberlin, Powell \u0026amp; Bon single-handedly transformed the City of London’s outer edge into a radical new neighbourhood providing 6,513 dwellings spread over an area totalling 17 hectares.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIn their scale and ambition the two estates together rank among the foremost achievements of postwar planning and architecture anywhere in the world. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThe walk begins on the Golden Lane Estate which was designed as social housing for the City’s key workers. On this bombed out site, the remains of deep basements were exploited to give an unusually varied three-dimensional feel to the spaces between blocks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThe walk then crosses into the highwalks of the Barbican Estate — the much larger, multi-layered, weighty, imposing and better known neighbour to Golden Lane.  Here the architect’s master plan redrew the existing street pattern and even realigned the London Underground to introduce a new east-west axis complete with generous landscapes specifically designed to persuade middle-class professionals to abandon suburban living for apartments in a concrete mega-structure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThe walk ends outside the Barbican Centre — the international arts complex that lies at the heart of the Barbican Estate, looking across the artificial lake towards the medieval church of St Giles Cripplegate and remnants of the ancient City Wall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThis tour follows the recent designation of the Golden Lane and Barbican estates as the City’s latest ‘Conservation Area’ in recognition of their architectural importance. While the Barbican still divides opinion, this tour will ask whether the ingenuity and generosity of its landscapes could still serve as a model for future urban housing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\" class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey information\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\" class=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeet:\u003c\/strong\u003e Outside The Shakespeare pub on the corner of Fann Street, 2 Goswell Rd EC1M 7AA. (2nd stop on this tour is Fann Street for a view of the yellow glazed tower block, Great Arthur House)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\" class=\"\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEnd:\u003c\/strong\u003e at the Barbican Centre\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\" class=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDuration:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2hr 15mins\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\" class=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDistance:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2 km approx\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\" class=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRoute notes:\u003c\/strong\u003e Step free access is possible for most of the route with lift access available for those that may need it to reach the Barbican Highwalk\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\" class=\"\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePhoto:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eBarbican Estate, London\u003c\/em\u003e by \u003ca class=\"underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current\/40 hover:decoration-current focus:decoration-current\" href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/User:Paul_the_Archivist\"\u003ePaul the Archivist\u003c\/a\u003e, licensed under \u003ca class=\"underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current\/40 hover:decoration-current focus:decoration-current\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\"\u003eCC BY-SA 4.0\u003c\/a\u003e. Originally taken 16 September 2017.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"OpenCityShop","offers":[{"title":"Solidarity ticket","offer_id":56662999794042,"sku":"TOURS","price":19.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Standard ticket","offer_id":56662999826810,"sku":"TOURS","price":17.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Over 65s ticket","offer_id":56662999859578,"sku":"TOURS","price":13.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Under 25s ticket","offer_id":56662999892346,"sku":"TOURS","price":9.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Income support\/jobseekers ticket","offer_id":56662999925114,"sku":"TOURS","price":9.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1068\/1786\/files\/Open_City_Archtiecture_Tour_Barbican_Estate__London_1.jpg?v=1774007998","url":"https:\/\/shop.open-city.org.uk\/products\/golden-lane-and-barbican-architecture-walking-tour-saturday-2-may-2026-11am","provider":"Open City Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}