London's 10 Tallest Buildings

View PDF | Print View
by: Ross Tilley Total views: 7 Word Count: 556 Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 Time: 9:26 AM 0 comments

In the past few centuries architectural ambition has really ramped up, with each generation seemingly determined to build taller and more grandiose structures. As a major capital of the world, London has its fair share of high rise buildings, but which are the tallest? For this list we've stuck to buildings and any tall structures like masts have been excluded.

1. 1 Canada Square
Built in 1991 and measuring a total of 235 metres, 1 Canada Square is not only the tallest building in London, but the tallest building in the United Kingdom. It doesn't look like it's going to hold the record for very long though; there are currently four skyscrapers under construction that are set to exceed its height.

2. = 8 Canada Square
This skyscraper is the head office for international banking group HSBC and measures an impressive 200 metres. Sadly a crane collapsed during its construction, which killed three workers instantly.

2. = 25 Canada Square
Joint 2nd on the list and joint 22nd tallest in Europe is 25 Canada Square. This skyscraper is home to Citigroup headquarters of Europe, the Middle East and Africa and has 45 stories. Today it is worth around 1billion.

4. BT Tower
A visually distinctive building, the BT Tower is one of the older entries on this list, having been officially open to the public in 1962. Despite towering at 189 metres tall, incredibly it was an official secret until being placed on the Ordinance Survey in 1993.

5. Tower 42
Tower 42 measures 183 metres in height and was originally called NatWest Tower after the banking group for whom it was built. It was severely damaged in the Bishopgate bombing by the Provisional IRA, and had to be completely refurbished inside and out (a significant buildings insurance claim no doubt!). It was at this point NatWest decided to sell, and it is now occupied by a variety of companies.

6. 30 St Mary Axe (aka The Gherkin)
Finished in 2003, 30 St Mary Axe, also known as 'The Gherkin' and the 'Towering Innuendo', it rises up to 180 metres in height. The building was sold in 2007 for 630millon, earning it the title of the most expensive office block in Britain.

7. 1 Churchill Place
The seventh tallest building in London is 1 Churchill Place, which measures 165 metres tall with a total of 31 floors. Home to Barclays Bank, it was formally opened in 2005, having been scaled down from 50 floors after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

8. = 25 Bank St
Primarily occupied by the Lehman Brothers banking group until the economic crash in 2008, 25 Bank St now holds a mix of different tenants. Standing at a respectable 153 metres, it is the joint 8th tallest building in Great Britain.

8. = 40 Bank St
Like many of the others on the list, 40 Bank St is located within the Canary Wharf area of London. It has a total of 33 floors and was built by Canary Wharf Contractors in 2003.

9. 10 Upper Bank St.
This 32 storey building was also completed in 2003 and stands at a height of 151 metres. The majority of the building is occupied by Clifford chance, one of the biggest law firms in the world.



About the Author

Ross Tilley is a freelancer writer who writes on a variety of topics including buildings insurance and contents insurance.


Rating: Not yet rated

Comments

No comments posted.

Add Comment


Topics of Interest: