Barbican

The City of London

Last weekend I ambled around the Barbican as part of a Leica Akademie workshop.

The Barbican fascinates me. Built on a site razed by the Blitz as a city within a city. An example of the optimism and ambition of post-war architecture - an icon of brutalism.

At it’s opening in 1982, the Queen described it as “one of the wonders of the modern world.”

The sights and sounds of the Barbican show how concrete living could work.

Dominated by the splendour of the towers, the neighbourhood has adopted the Church of St Giles (the one surviving building from the Blitz) and hosts a calming lake in the centre (which provides a roof to the Central Line).

The Barbican is a car-free, pedestrian-friendly neighbourhood.

The lack of traffic means you can listen to students practicing at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, hear excited squeals at playtime from The London School of Girls and the bounce of a ball in one of the sports grounds.

I like a day like this. A day dedicated to photography in a place that inspires me. It gives me time to linger, absorb the place and notice the details.

Even in the rain.