Between 1954 and 1968, Peter Chamberlin, Geoffry Powell and Christoph Bon drew up four distinct schemes for the Barbican that they continued to modify even after construction had started in 1965. Their intention was to create a residential precinct which would, as they wrote in the 1959 Barbican Redevelopment Plan, allow people to live “both conveniently and with pleasure”. Their mission would include a quiet pedestrian space that would be “uninterrupted by road traffic”, where people would be able to “move about freely enjoying constantly changing perspectives of terraces, lawns, trees and flowers” and see “the new buildings reflected in the ornamental lake.” 

The first building on the estate, Speed House, was officially opened in 1969, and the final building, Shakespeare Tower, was completed in 1969. In 2001, the Barbican Estate was given a Grade-II listing. Contained within its 40 acres are three towers, 13 terrace blocks, two mews, and several separate residential buildings. The green communal gardens on the estate offset the striking concrete profile that the Barbican is known for; residents are given exclusive access to a range of gardens, including a thriving wildlife garden managed by volunteer residents. The Barbican is also known for its series of labyrinthine, high-level walkways that connect the estate while separating pedestrians from cars below.

Ben Jonson house was completed in March 1973 and formed part of phase five of the City’s building program for the Barbican site. Running along the northern side, it is the longest terrace block on the estate with 204 flats. Its eponym, Ben Jonson, was an English playwright and poet (1572-1637). He had a considerable influence on English poetry and stage comedy and lived in the parish of St Giles-without-Cripplegate, which included the site that the Barbican Estate was built on. Residents here, as with the rest of the estate, enjoy access to private gardens as well as the Barbican Centre itself, which is home to large foyers and public spaces, a library, the Lakeside Terrace, conference facilities, three restaurants, and a sizeable conservatory with over 1,500 species of plants and trees.