Barbican Centre

Designed in the 1960s and constructed in the 1970s the Barbican Centre was opened on 3 March 1982 by HM The Queen who described it as 'one of the wonders of the modern world'. Since the Barbican opened, almost 27 million patrons have visited the centre, attending over 52,000 events. Owned, funded and managed by the City of London, the third largest sponsor of the arts in the UK, it was built as 'the City's gift to the nation' at an historical capital cost of £161million, equivalent to almost £400 million today.

Open 363 days a year, the Barbican presents a uniquely diverse programme of world-class performing and visual arts, encompassing all forms of classical and contemporary music, international theatre and dance, visual arts and design, and a cinema programme which blends first-run films with special themed seasons. The City of London's annual revenue grant to the Barbican was £17,754,000 in 2004/05. In the same period, the Barbican earned direct income of £12,796,000.