Barbican Centre
- EC2Y 8DS
- barbican.org.uk
The Barbican Centre is the The Corporation of London's main cultural venue. It sits in the middle of a maze of residential concrete - the whole estate (known collectively just as 'The Barbican') seemingly designed as one of those Brave New Worlds of culture and harmonious living. The tower blocks themselves soar about 40 stories above Aldersgate.
It has three cinemas, playing both arthouse and major releases, two theatres, concert hall, and two art galleries with changing exhibitions. It's also home of the LSO.
If you go even remotely regularly, it's worth getting an annual Barbican card for 20.00, for which you get the guide sent every month, 1.50 off the cinema and 20% or so off a lot of the tickets, plus 15% off food and drink.
The Barbican Centre also contains the Museum of London, and looks out on a small bit of Roman wall. There are also two pubs and a Pizza Express in the complex.
Navigation is a little nightmarish, both to find the place and once inside. The steps and mazes and poor signposting within mirror those without.
From Barbican Station, the easiest way to find it is to leave by the street entrance, cross the road and head straight under the well-lit and often busy underpass. Once you get through the underpass, turn sharp right down Silk Street and the main entrance should open out in front of you.
For a shorter, traffic-free route, keep going up the steps from Barbican station until you are on the footbridge over Aldersgate Street. Bear right across Beech Gardens and go down the steps with a roofed canopy over them. Turn left where the steps divide, walk to the far end and down a long flight of steps at the end to the Lakeside Terrace. This route is marked out by a yellow line pained on the ground, which is now a bit scuffed in places.