Golden Lane is one of Britain’s most important post war housing developments. Its design and construction at the time were innovative and forward thinking and were widely influential. Many of the concepts realised in the Golden Lane Estate were used widely elsewhere for example, Barbican. Golden Lane is a pioneering example of an urban microcosm which was wholly modern in spirit yet fully responsive to its site. This needs to be respected and protected.

The listing of buildings is intended to safeguard them, to protect the important aspects of them and to prevent casual or incremental deterioration of the buildings and their settings through inappropriate changes or ill-considered repairs.

Golden Lane Estate, A listed building guide for residents, 2008

Golden Lane Estate was listed in 1977 for its special architectural and historic interest. The buildings are Grade II listed apart from Crescent House which is Grade II*. The common parts, landscapes and gardens of the estate were separately listed as a Grade II designed landscape in 2020 (source: Wikipedia).

listed building management guidance

Foreword

These are the adopted listed building management guidelines for Golden Lane Estate produced by the City of London Corporation.

Part of the original project brief included the establishment of a Working Party to offer guidance and advice on behalf of key interested parties. The group met regularly and included residents (both tenants and leaseholders), Members, representatives of English Heritage, the Twentieth Century Society, the Department of Community and Children’s Services and Department of Planning and Transportation. The Working Party, chaired by Deputy Mobsby, was vital to the development of the project, offering feedback on drafts of the guidelines and looking to the future of the Estate. We would like to thank its members for their contributions.

Part 1 of this document was produced by the City Corporation’s Department of Planning and Transportation. Part 2 was produced by Avanti Architects Ltd, 361-373 City Road, London, EC1V 1AS.

The guidelines were approved by Community and Children’s Services Committee and Planning and Transportation Committee in June 2007. They have now been comprehensively reviewed, updated in the light of five years of operation on the estate and re-published as a Supplementary Planning Document.

The Working Party was re-constituted for the purposes of carrying out the 2012/13 review, and has included several of the original members. Avanti Architects have also been engaged to assist in the production of the updated edition of 2012/13.

Golden Lane Listed Building Management Guidance, Sept 2013

barbican + golden lane conservation area

Summary of character, appearance and significance

This supplementary planning document articulates the special character and appearance of the Barbican and Golden Lane Conservation Area and the policy framework for its management.

The area is characterised by two distinct developments: Golden Lane Estate to the north and Barbican Estate to the south. The characteristics which contribute to the special interest of the Barbican & Golden Lane conservation area can be summarised as follows:

  • Two estates which, together, provide a unique insight in the creative processes of a seminal English architectural practice, Chamberlin, Powell & Bon
  • Integration of the ancient remains of the Roman and medieval City wall, including Bastions 12, 13 and 14 and the medieval church of St Giles Cripplegate in a strikingly modern context
  • In scope and extent, the estates are important visual evidence of the scale of devastation wrought by the WW2 ‘Blitz’ bombing campaign of 1940-41
  • Seminal examples of ambitious post-war housing schemes incorporating radical, modern ideas of architecture and spatial planning reflecting the development of both Modernism and Brutalism
  • Unprecedented and ingenious provision of open space and gardens within central London, which continue to be a defining characteristic of the estates today
  • New and striking architectural idioms, particularly at the Barbican, applied on a significant scale; a new architectural language deliberately modern and forward-looking; a way of planning and arranging buildings and spaces which was unprecedented in Britain and reflected evolving ideas of the modern city.
Barbican and Golden Lane Conservation Area SPD, Feb 2022

BACKGROUND

A Conservation Area is an area ‘of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance’. In April 2017 the Barbican Association and Golden Lane Estates Residents’ Association (GLERA) approached the City with proposals for a new conservation area to include the Barbican and Golden Lane Estates and surrounding areas.