The Barbican Lake and Gilbert Bridge

Gilbert Bridge and the one-hectare Barbican Lake in London were designed by architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon as a modern drawbridge and moat concealing layers of history. Beneath the water lies the site of the Redcross Street fire station, evacuated during the 1940 Second Great Fire of London. The lake also serves as a functional air conditioning cooling system for the Barbican Centre.

London · from the walk “Secrets and Surprises of Barbican” · audio ~3 min · Generated

Gilbert Bridge, Barbican Estate, London EC2Y 8DS

What historic structure lies submerged beneath the Barbican Lake in London?

Stop for a moment and look down from where you're standing. When crossing Gilbert Bridge, recall the idea of the Barbican as a fortress... and specifically how this walkway resembles a drawbridge across a moat. That's not a poetic flourish. That was the Actual intention of the architects, Chamberlin, Powell and Bon. Every detail of this estate was designed to echo the medieval fortification that once stood here.......... The word Barbican comes from the Low Latin word "BarbecAna," which referred to a fortified outpost or gateway... a tower situated over a gate or bridge used for defence purposes. So this bridge you're crossing? It's a modern drawbridge. And the lake below... is the moat.......... But what lies Beneath this ornamental lake?......... Part of the area now occupied by the central water feature in the Barbican was once the site of the Redcross Street fire station. A large Victorian fire station, built after a devastating fire that destroyed much of Cripplegate on the nineteenth of November, eighteen ninety seven.......... And that fire station would see its Greatest test. The majority of the destruction of the area now occupied by the Barbican occurred on the night of the twenty ninth of December, nineteen forty, with fires created by incendiary bombs causing much of the devastation. It was so bad they called it the Second Great Fire of London. And right here, where the water now shimmers so peacefully... Commander Sir Aylmer Firebrace of the London Fire Brigade sat in the control room at Redcross Street Fire Station as, one by one, the telephone lines failed and the heat from the fires penetrated to the control room. Officers wisely evacuated Redcross Street Fire Station, and the only way of escape lay through Whitecross Street... which is exactly the path Gilbert Bridge follows today.......... The fire station was eventually demolished as part of the final land clearance in preparation for the build of the Barbican. But its ghost remains... drowned beneath the lake you see below.......... Now look up at Gilbert House towering above on those massive concrete stilts descending into the water. It's named for Sir Humphrey Gilbert, an Elizabethan explorer and soldier who actually Lived on the very street buried beneath your feet... Redcross Street. Sir Walter Raleigh was his half brother. In fifteen eighty three, Gilbert took possession of Newfoundland for the English Crown on the fifth of August... making it arguably England's First overseas colony. On the voyage home, his tiny ship the Squirrel was swallowed by a storm near the Azores. He was last seen shouting to his companion vessel his famous final words... before vanishing into the Atlantic forever.......... And here's a detail most people walk right past. This lake wasn't just for show... it was also designed to provide air conditioning for the Barbican Centre! The lake is one hectare in size and roughly follows the route of the Underground tracks from Barbican to Moorgate. So beneath your feet, there are train tunnels, the ghost of a Victorian fire station, and a hidden cooling system. Layer upon layer upon Layer of London... all concealed by what looks like a simple ornamental lake.

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