Top 8 Tallest Buildings in the UK Today

Psithurism [email protected] February 10, 2021 | 12:05

From Victorian era's big buildings to these days' skyscrapers, Britain is awash with stunning towers that reach into the sky. Below are top 8 tallest building in the United Kingdom that might amase you.

Photo: Nytimes

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Table of Content
8. The Gherkin or 30 St Mary Axe, 180 metres 7. St George Wharf Tower, 181 metres 6. Tower 42, 183 metres 5. The Cheesegrater or the Leadenhall Building, 225 metres 3. Canada Square, 235 metres4. The Heron Tower, 230 metres 2. 22 Bishopsgate, 278 metres 1. The Shard, 309.6 metres

8. The Gherkin or 30 St Mary Axe, 180 metres

Photo: Ice

Like the Cheesegrater, the Gherkin nickname is easy to fathom. Its cylindrical profile is reminiscent of the maligned pickle. The scheme was originally dubbed the 'erotic gherkin', when plans were first announced in the year 2000. Various internet sources bestow the coinage on The Guardian, who apparently first used the term to describe an earlier incarnation of the tower in 1996.

7. St George Wharf Tower, 181 metres

Photo: Projectfireproducts

The cylindrical tower at Vauxhall made the news for tragic reasons in 2013 when a helicopter hit its construction crane, resulting in two deaths. It is currently the UK's tallest residential tower. The name, somewhat blandly, comes from developers St George. The tower is part of the wider St George Wharf development, which includes those green and white apartment blocks upstream of Vauxhall Bridge, Londonist cited.

6. Tower 42, 183 metres

Photo: Londontopia

You wouldn't guess it to look at the modern skyline, but Tower 42 was once the tallest building in the country. At 183 metres, it is now the seventh tallest in London, and will probably slip to something like 15th by the end of the decade. The Hitchhiker's Guide-riffing name refers to the number of habitable floors in the building — a champagne bar can be found on the 42nd floor. The skyscraper was formerly known as the NatWest Tower after the National Westminster Bank, for whom it was built. Seen from above, the tower's shape resembles the NatWest logo.

5. The Cheesegrater or the Leadenhall Building, 225 metres

Photo: Uk-metering

The City giant's nickname is fairly self-explanatory. Its sloped profile and cross-hatched facade give it the appearance of a giant grater. We've heard, on good authority, that the nickname started with Ruth Rogers, of Hammersmith's River Cafe. Her husband, Richard Rogers, is senior partner of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the firm who designed (and now work in) the Cheesegrater. Its official name of the Leadenhall Building, or 122 Leadenhall Street derives from a medieval hall frequented by lead merchants, which once stood on this street.

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3. Canada Square, 235 metres4. The Heron Tower, 230 metres

Photo: Datacenterdynamics

Falling just short of One Canada Square is another structure pushing its way into the top 10 from Bishopgate. Heron Tower was completed in 2011 and stands at 230m (755ft), making it the current tallest building in the City of London’s financial district, Strawberrytours noted.

The City of London's tallest building (for now), the Heron's muse is not ornithological in origin. Instead, it's named after developer Heron. This company is owned by Gerald Ronson, and is truncated from Henry Ronson, his father. The tower is now officially called 110 Bishopsgate, whose street name derives from an old Roman and medieval gate into the City (though why it was associated with bishops is not certain). The skyscraper also goes by the horrendous name of Salesforce Tower, after its principal tenant.

Photo: Incentive-fmgroup

Britain's tallest building between 1991 and 2010, the pyramid-topped skyscraper remains the centrepiece of the Canary Wharf estate. Canada Square was originally to be called Docklands Square, then Winston Square, before the North American appellation was settled upon. Why Canada? The site's original developers, Olympia and York, hail from Toronto. The main tower is often referred to as the Canary Wharf tower. This name dates back to the 1930s, when a quay and warehouse were established in the area for fruit trade with the Canary Islands.

2. 22 Bishopsgate, 278 metres

Photo: Londonsociety

The tallest building in the City of London, 22 Bishopsgate has reached the stage of “practical completion”, and is starting to be fitted out for tenants.

The skyscraper, 22 Bishopsgate sits on the site of the cancelled Pinnacle — the “helter-skelter” — which had started being built but stopped in 2012 due to the recession, with only the concrete core of the first seven storeys built. The replacement design was approved in 2017 is for a 278-metre high, 62 storey building, according to Ianvisits.

1. The Shard, 309.6 metres

Top 8 Tallest Buildings in the United Kingdom

The Shard

Western Europe's tallest building toyed with a number of names and nicknames — London Bridge Tower, the Shard of Glass, Shard London Bridge — before settling down on simply The Shard. Its pointy form resembles a glass shard, and is also supposed to remind us of the sail ships and church steeples of ye olde London.

The Shard is the Marmite of London's skyline - you either love it or you hate it. Some say it looks unfinished while others argue it's a delicate feat of architectural genius. Opinions aside it's currently the tallest building in the UK and the EU. The Shard is a mixed use building with offices and homes as well as a hotel, bars and restaurants. Members of the public can visit The Shard and go up to its viewing gallery on the 72nd floor where there's an open air observation deck, Mylondon sited.