EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BARBICAN CENTRE

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East London holds a wide range of activities, events and sites, ranging from Jack the Ripper tours to exclusive club nights. If it’s your first time in the area, then you could do worse than stay at the Barbican rooms London. These gorgeous hotel rooms give you quick and easy access to East London, alongside nearby transport links from Liverpool Street Station to much of the East of England. The Barbican Centre is one of the main attractions of the area and takes its name from the nearby estate. This complex holds a wide range of arts venues, restaurants, galleries and education centres, hosting a wide range of events and performance son a daily basis. If you’re visiting the area, then the Barbican Centre is well worth a visit.

Barbican Centre

What is the Barbican Centre?

Built in 1982 by the Chamberlin, Powell and Bonn architecture firm, the Barbican Centre is a large brutalist structure surrounding and built into the nearby Barbican Estate. This concrete Brutalist styled area was redeveloped after World War Two after bad bombing in Blitz and has become one of the most prominent features of the London artistic community, holding many events and festivals each year. The Barbican is made from a multi-level building which is complex in its build and integrated into the surrounding estate.

Grounds

Alongside its many stages, the Barbican is home to a beautiful urban water feature, alongside sculptures and walkways zig zagging through the nearby Barbican Estate. The integration of the Barbican into the surrounding area means that there is plenty to explore, be they tunnels, beautiful views from walkways and café come restaurant areas.

Art

There are two art galleries in the Barbican. Alongside the standard exhibition space, a newly developed area known as The Curve has been developed in the centre of the Barbican complex, where you can catch work by a wide range of emerging new artists. Working in many mediums, the gallery is soon to be play host to Daria Martin and works responding to the art of MC Escher. The gallery hosts art films, sculptures and installations alongside modern and contemporary art in the traditional format.

Music

The Barbican is a popular hub for classical and contemporary music alike, bringing a wide range of bands, singers and orchestras to the several stages in the Barbican complex. The main venues for music consist of the Barbican Hall and the Pit. The Hall can seat up to 1943 audience members and is the home of the London Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Modern musicians who have played at the Barbican include Phillip Glass and Nils Frahm.

Film

The Barbican Cinema consists of three screens which range up to 288 in seating size. The Barbican cinema plays host to a wide range of film festivals throughout the year and is also one of the best cinemas for both mainstream and art house releases and revivals.

Theatre

The Theatre seats up to 1156 audience members and was designed for the Royal Shakespeare Company. On top of this, the The Pit seats just over 200 audience members, and is used for new work. Upcoming performances include and adaptation of Grief is the Thing With Feathers by Enda Walsh and starring Cillian Murphy and Avalanche: A Love Story.