Barbican a gracious place for living in the City

The Barbican Residential estate was built between 1965 and 1976 on a 35 acre site devastated by bombing in World War 2. The 2000 homes on the Estate were designed and built for luxury living and, as indicated by this marketing leaflet were marketed primarily at high paid executives working in the financial sector within the nearby City. The three towers referred to in this brochure were completed between 1973 and 1976. Cromwell Tower, the first to be completed in 1973 and named after Oliver Cromwell comprised 43 storeys, each storey having 3 flats with 3 'exclusive' penthouse maisonettes on floors 42 & 43. Lauderdale Tower, completed in 1974 followed a similar design but had an additional storey and penthouse maisonettes on levels 43 & 44. The tower was named after the Scottish Earls of Lauderdale who had previously owned a London home on the site. The 44 storey Shakespeare Tower, named after William Shakespeare, was the last to be completed in 1976 and included 2 penthouse apartments.
This marketing leaflet was produced in the early 1980s, following the opening of the Barbican Arts Centre. This was a decade when London, boosted by the deregulation of the Stock exchange in 1986, strengthened its position as a global financial hub. The financial boom, known as the ‘Big Bang’ brought high earning financiers to London from across the world. The City’s financial success was welcomed by the Barbican estate management as a marketing opportunity. As well as promoting the benefits of living close to the City, the recently opened Barbican Centre, referred to in the brochure also provided the estate managers with the opportunity of comparing cultural life in the Barbican to that of areas of central London, including Belgravia, traditionally favoured by high earning City workers.