Chamberlin Powell & Bon's early plans

In 1954 the City asked Chamberlin, Powell & Bon, fresh from designing the Golden Lane Estate, to produce a design for the south Barbican site including housing for 5,000 residents. (It excluded the area north of Beech Street where the blocks from John Trundle Court to Ben Jonson House stand). They produced a proposal to the City in 1955 for several huge office blocks mixed with residential courtyards.

Chamberlin, Powell & Bon were commissioned to prepare a new scheme for the whole Barbican area including the land north of Beech Street. They were instructed to examine the possibility of including the City of London School, the City of London School for Girls and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in the scheme. The introduction of the schools with their need for adjacent open space, put pressure on the available space for flats. Their report in 1956 introduced the idea of residential tower blocks, 30 storeys high, to compensate for the loss of ground space to schools. They placed the schools together in the centre near the proposed arts centre. There was also to be a 140 room hotel. One of the ideas was to have an enormous glass pyramid, containing a conservatory, surrounded by gardens and ornamental water areas.

In 1957, Chamberlin, Powell & Bon were commissioned to prepare a modified version of their 1956 plan for an outline planning application to the London County Council, but only in respect of the south Barbican area (south of Beech Street), and they were to omit the City of London School, which was to remain on the Embankment. This scheme was to integrate with the proposals in the Martin-Mealand Scheme for commercial development on the eastern and southern boundaries of the proposed residential area. Their revised plan included towers which were taller than had previously been proposed. It also provided for a theatre and concert hall for the Guildhall School. Red Cross Street was to be retained, as well as St Giles' church, the Coal Exchange and Temple Bar, all of which were historic buildings which had survived the Blitz. The Coal Exchange was to be practice rooms for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Later it was decided that the Coal Exchange should be demolished and a plan emerged to build practice rooms in the centre of Frobisher Crescent. In the end, only St Giles' was incorporated in the final scheme and Redcross Street was also to disappear.

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