On Thursday 29 November 2007 Barbican Heritage held its
first meeting.
At this meeting the first Board of Trustees was elected and
began the work of Barbican Heritage as an independent charitable
organisation.
Conservation Strategy projects
If you become a member of Barbican Heritage, you will be
able to become involved in Conservation Strategy projects, to vote
on the work of the organisation and receive regular information
regarding ongoing work. There may also be regular events and the
possibility of purchasing publications relating to the Barbican
Estate.
The types of projects that you can become involved in are
described below.
Salvage Store
This initiative addresses the needs of residents and estate
staff who want original fixtures and fittings to undertake repairs,
or to return flats to their original condition. The store
facilitates the re-use of original fixtures and fittings by passing
them on to residents who require them. The Salvage Store is run by
a small group of residents. It has been extremely successful and
numerous residents have already benefited from the group’s work,
however it needs more volunteers. In addition to the continued
operation of the Salvage Store, it is hoped that Barbican Heritage
will produce guidance for residents in finding suppliers and
contractors for fixtures and fittings where the originals (such as
hobs), cannot be re-used, or are not available.
Archive
As the Estate ages, it will become increasingly important to
have access to drawings and other information to inform repairs and
alterations. A central archive would be invaluable to all
interested parties. In order to address this, we have negotiated
with the London Metropolitan Archive (LMA) to take and catalogue a
variety of materials concerning the Barbican. The aim is that
Barbican Researchers, Residents and City Officers will have access
to this material. There may be opportunities for members of
Barbican Heritage to become involved in a practical way by sorting
material and assisting LMA staff in cataloguing the archive. In
addition, it is hoped that there is a wealth of Social History
material such as leaflets and flyers still in residents’
possession. ‘Barbican Heritage’ will carry out a project to collect
this material and liaise with the LMA for its addition to its
archive.
Oral History
A number of people have lived on the Estate since it was first
occupied and there is a wealth of experience lodged in the memories
of long-serving estate staff. It would be valuable to record their
stories and experiences for the future as part of an oral history
project.
The Museum of London may be able to carry out this project (if
funding allows) but members can still become involved either as
interviewers or interviewees. The interviews themselves (with
permission) will become a public resource, adding to the diverse
range of material and information available about the Barbican
Estate.
Documentation and Survey of Selected Flat Interiors
As fixtures and fittings reach the end of their working life and
flats are changed to meet modern-day living standards some
interesting design elements of the flat interiors will be lost. It
is critical that the Estate is properly recorded whilst many of the
original features can still be found in-situ. This record will
include measured plans and photographs of key flat types and
details.
Members of Barbican Heritage can volunteer to assist in this
survey. The material will add to the body of knowledge about the
Estate and provide reference material for residents wishing to
return their flats to the original interiors.
Exhibition Space
The exhibition held at the Barbican Centre to commemorate the
20th anniversary of the Centre was popular amongst residents and
other interested parties. A permanent exhibition would provide a
focus for the interest in the Estate and provide an educational
facility for schools, university students and adults. There would
be an opportunity to present the historical, social and economic
importance of the Estate as well as its architectural interest.
We have proposed the creation of a small display at the Museum
of London (subject to available funding) supported by a web-based
resource that will provide access to the Building Recording Survey
and Oral History material. This resource could be interactive and
may include downloadable podcasts that would allow visitors to
undertake walks around the Estate (public areas only).
This is your chance to become involved in important projects to
gather material and research about the Barbican Estate and to learn
more about the architecture of this important group of
buildings.
Download the draft Constitution for Barbican
Heritage here (84.4kb)