[A full description of the podium and highwalk system, including its history and design, is contained in the Construction > Public and Open Areas section of this website.]

For a visitor, the key point is straightforward. The Barbican is arranged on a raised pedestrian level known as the podium, and the routes across this level are called highwalks. These allow you to move through the estate above street level, without needing to follow the surrounding roads.

Once on the podium, the highwalks form a continuous network linking the main parts of the estate. They mainly run around the edges of the estate. Moving around the Barbican usually means following these elevated routes rather than walking at street level.

In the south-west section of the estate, Seddon Highwalk and John Wesley Highwalk are covered routes with distinctive arched roofs. John Wesley Highwalk leads to a service tower containing stairs down to street level at Aldersgate Street. [More to be added.]