In Pictures: On Top Of The Cromwell Tower, Barbican

Love it, or hate it (and, increasingly, people court the former standpoint), the Barbican Estate certainly has presence. The great brutish complex of concrete and confusion took over 11 years to build, reoccupying land in the north of the City almost completely ravaged by the Blitz. The most visible sections are the three giant residential towers, whose sawtooth profiles have always threatened, but never quite achieved, iconic status on the London skyline.

Last week, we were given access to the rooftop of the earliest block – the Cromwell Tower. This highrise was completed in 1973, and soars 123 metres into the City skies. Clambering over elevator machinery and antiquated switch gear, we stumbled out onto the roof, just above the multimillion pound penthouses 42 storeys up.

The view, as you’d expect, is magnificent, with closeups of the ever-changing City skyline, panoramas of the Northern Heights and south to Crystal Palace, and teasing glimpses of the Thames, snaking through the urban sprawl.

Click through the gallery above for descriptions.

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