The site had been occupied since the mid-19th century by small Victorian industries and businesses, especially metal working. Some of the basements of the bombed buildings were retained as sunken areas of landscaping. It was designed by architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, who later designed the adjacent Barbican Estate. The Golden Lane Estate was commissioned and paid for by the City of London Corporation, which remains freeholder of the site and acts as its manager. However, it is distinguished from the bulk of the City of London, which is today the largely non-residential European financial services capital.