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The tallest buildings in London

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Bishopsgate Tower (Artist’s impression of the City in 2012, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London_skyline_showing_planned_Bishopsgate_Tower.jpg)

The list of the highest structures of London includes and classify by height the tallest skyscrapers, buildings and structures in the City of London, the capital of the UK. The building that is currently the highest in the British capital is the skyscraper Shard London Bridge, completed in 2012, which reached 310 meters (1016 feet). Its size makes it the tallest building in the UK and Europe. The second is the One Canada Square, erected in 1991 in the business district of Canary Wharf. Its height is 235 meters (771 feet), placing it in the fifth place ranking of the highest buildings in Europe. The third tallest structure in the city is the Crystal Palace transmitter, built in 1950 and main distribution point of television to London. Nicknamed, in terms of its architectural form, the “London Eiffel Tower”, it rises to 222 meters (728 feet) high.

We can consider that the construction of large London architecture dates back to the eleventh century with the construction, in 1098, within the walls of the Tower of London, of the “White Tower”, with a height of 27 meters. The first London building to exceed the symbolic height of 100 meters is the old St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, completed in 1310. Destroyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666, it was 150 meters and was, for a year, Europe’s highest structure, before being surpassed in 1311 by Lincoln Cathedral, located in the city of Lincoln in England. She became again the highest structure in Europe when the tip of the Lincoln Cathedral collapsed in 1549. Despite the accidental destruction of the tip on June 4, 1561 by lightning, it remains the tallest structure in London, but the highest world structure is the Notre Dame Cathedral in the city of Strasbourg in France. After being destroyed in the great fire of 1666, the title of highest city structure returns to Southwark Cathedral, which is 50 meters high. No London architectural project will exceed 100 meters in height before the year 1710, year of completion of construction of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Peaking at 111 meters high, the cathedral will remain during 229 years the tallest structure of the capital, until the construction of the coal power plant Battersea Power Station in 1939.

Despite a long architectural history, London has seen only very late building skyscrapers, this situation is explained by legal restrictions governing the maximum height of buildings in the capital, to preserve the panorama of the city visible of St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and the palace of Westminster.

The consequence of this is the explosion in the 1960s of high-rise buildings where architectural restrictions were revised. One of the first skyscrapers built during this period is Centre Point, which displays 117 meters high and has 32 floors. Another important skyscraper is the NatWest Tower, built in the 1970s and inaugurated in 1980. With its 183 meters high, it is, by international standards, the first true skyscrapers in the city of London. The early 1990 will see the building of One Canada Square, Tower of 235 meters which is the architectural center of Canary Wharf. After a break of ten years, the London panorama will know a new boom in the early 2000s, with the construction of the towers 8 Canada Square, 25 Canada Square, buildings of Heron Quays, the headquarters of Barclays, the Broadgate tower and thr tower 30 St Mary Axe, winner of the 2003 Emporis Skyscraper award and the Stirling prize in 2004.

White Tower (The White Tower stood as the tallest structure in London from 1098 until 1310, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tower_of_London_White_Tower.jpg)

Lists

Skyscrapers

Rank Name Year Use Height (m) Floors Location
1 The Shard 2013 Offices 306 73 Southwark
2 110 Bishopsgate 2011 Offices 242 46 City of London
3 One Canada Square 1991 Offices 235 50 Canary Wharf
4 The Leadenhall Building 2014 Offices 225 48 City of London
5 25 Canada Square 2001 Offices 200 45 Canary Wharf
5 8 Canada Square 2002 Offices 200 45 Canary Wharf
7 Tower 42 1980 Offices 183 43 City of London
8 The Tower, One St George Wharf 2014 Offices 181 49 Lambeth
9 30 St Mary Axe 2003 Offices 180 41 City of London
10 The Broadgate Tower 2008 Offices 161 35 City of London
11 20 Fenchurch Street 2014 Offices 160 38 City of London
12 One Churchill Place 2004 Offices 156 32 Canary Wharf
13 South Bank Tower 1978 Offices 155 41 Southwark
14 40 Bank Street 2003 Offices 153 33 Canary Wharf
14 25 Bank Street 2003 Offices 153 33 Canary Wharf
16 10 Upper Bank Street 2003 Offices 151 32 Canary Wharf
17 Guy’s Tower 1974 Offices 149 34 Southwark
18 Strata SE1 2010 Residential 148 43 Southwark
19 Pan Peninsula East Tower 2008 Résidentiel 147 48 Tower Hamlets
20 The Landmark East Tower 2010 Résidentiel 137 44 Canary Wharf
21 25 Churchill Place 2014 Résidentiel 130 20 Canary Wharf
22 CityPoint 1967 Offices 127 36 City of London
23 Euston Tower 1970 Offices 124 36 Camden
24 Shakespeare Tower 1976 Résidentiel 123 43 City of London
24 Lauderdale Tower 1974 Résidentiel 123 43 City of London
24 Cromwell Tower 1973 Résidentiel 123 42 City of London
27 Pan Peninsula West Tower 2008 Résidentiel 122 39 Tower Hamlets
28 Millbank Tower 1963 Offices 119 33 City of Westminster
29 St. Helen’s 1969 Offices 118 28 City of London
30 Centre Point 1967 Résidentiel 117 35 Camden
30 Empress State Building 1961 Offices 117 31 Hammersmith and Fulham
32 Nido Spitalfields 2010 Résidentiel 112 34 Tower Hamlets
33 No.1 West India Quay 2004 Résidentiel 108 36 Canary Wharf
34 Shell Centre 1962 Offices 107 26 Lambeth
35 Ontario Tower 2007 Résidentiel 106 31 Tower Hamlets
36 33 Canada Square 1999 Offices 105 18 Canary Wharf
37 99 Bishopsgate 1976 Offices 104 26 City of London
38 125 Old Broad Street 1970 Offices 103 27 City of London
39 Portland House 1963 Offices 102 29 City of Westminster
40 The London Hilton on Park Lane 1963 Bureaux 101 29 City of Westminster

Tower 42 and 30 St Mary Axe (Two other of the highest buildings in London, left Tower 42 (183 m) and right 30 St Mary Axe (180 m))

Other structures

No Height (m) Construction
1 Crystal Palace Transmitter (transmitter BBC) 222 1950
2 Croydon Transmitter (transmitter BBC) 153 1962
3 EDF Energy – London Eye 135 1999
4 Wembley Stadium 133 2005
5 Cathédrale Saint-Paul 112 1710
6 Victoria Tower (Westminster Palace) 102 1858

Comparison chart

The tallest buildings in London (The tallest buildings in London, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_and_structures_in_London)

Future buildings

Name Height (m) Status
Bishopsgate Tower 288 Pending
Hertsmere Tower 242 Approved
Columbus Tower 237 Approved
Riverside South (Canary Wharf) 236 In construction
Minerva Building 217 Approved
Diamond Tower 220 Approved
Wood Wharf 200 Approved
City Tower One Nine Elms Vauxhall 200 Approved
20 Fenchurch Street 192 In construction
52-54 Lime Street 192 In construction
Wood Wharf 187 Approved
Wood Wharf 182 Approved
Morello Tower 172 Approved
Principal Place 163 Approved
Beetham Tower 163 In construction
Wood Wharf 154 Approved
Merchant Square Tower 150 Approved
Saffron Square 150 In construction
Baltimore Wharf 150 In construction
South Bank Tower 150 In construction
Crossharbour Tower 149 In construction
Manhattan Loft Gardens 143 Approved
Doon Street Tower 140 In construction
Providence Tower 136 In construction
One The Elephant 133 In construction
Lexicon 115 In construction

Other famous structures

Name Height (m) Construction
Trellick Tower 98 1972
Big Ben, palais de Westminster 96 1859
Lloyd’s building 95 1986
Dôme du millénaire 95 1999
Balfron Tower 84 1967
St Pancras railway station 82 1868
The London Ark 76 1992
OXO Tower 67 1900
Old Bailey 67 1907

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