London was built on clay so it was harder to build high than in New York, which stands on rock. For many years the tallest architects could construct a skyscraper was 5 – 600 feet. Then new technology allowed them to build higher and London’s tallest building is currently The Shard next to London Bridge, which is over 1000 feet tall. One Undershaft in The City was built to match The Shard in height and it too will have a viewing tower with an education centre operated by the recently renamed London Museum (formerly Museum of London). One Undershaft, however, will not open until 2029. The height of The Shard and One Undershaft has been capped at just over 1000 feet (300 metres) not by geology but by a requirement of the Civil Aviation Authority not to impede low-flying aircraft.

The Shard charges around £20 – £30 for entry but those going to admire the view from Horizon 22, the Sky Garden, the Walkie Talkie building and, eventually, One Undershaft provide free entry to their platforms. The Sky Garden is popular with visitors to London so it is advisable to book a visit in advance. It has a bar and coffee shop but there is no obligation to use them if you go up. Despite (or maybe because) it charges a fee the Shard’s viewing gallery attracts nearly a million visitors a year.

View of Canary Wharf from Horizon 22. Photo Credit: © Ursula Petula Barzey.

Below is a list of some of the tallest buildings in London and their heights together with other structures from the city’s history. One building, however, that does not appear is the office of Michael Bloomberg in Queen Victoria Street. Bloomberg told his architects to use materials sourced in Britain and to follow the traditional custom of not building more than twice the width of the street. With the price of land in London skyrocketing, however, this rule has largely been ignored as London grows upwards and becomes a city of skyscrapers, rather than the ‘sky-scratchers’ of previous years.

The Shard

Website | Location: 32 London Bridge St, London SE1 9SG
Height: 1016 feet/309.6 metres
This distinctive building next to London Bridge was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano. It contains a hotel, restaurants and penthouses priced at £30 – £50 million plus twenty-six floors of office space. You can normally go into the Shard’s viewing gallery but can book at the-shard.com. While the offices have been occupied and the hotel, restaurants and viewing gallery are doing good business, the penthouses have proved harder to sell. The singer Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas is reported to want to buy one at around £40 million but others have stood empty for years.

The Shard London Bridge. Photo Credit: © Ursula Petula Barzey.

One Undershaft

Website | Location: 1 Undershaft, London EC3P 3DQ

Height: 1016 feet/309.6 metres

At 309.6 metres this new office in the City was built to be equal in height to The Shard. Eric Parry’s undergone numerous design changes as it waits for approval from the authorities. Moreover, it has not been given a nickname, like the Shard or Gherkin, by which it is known to the general public.

Horizon 22

Website | Location: 22 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AJ
Height: 912 feet/278 metres

At 254 metres, the free viewing platform of the fifty-eighth floor at 22 Bishopsgate is the highest in London. Walk-ins are welcome although it is best to book tickets in advance. The space is open every day and can be privately hired for evening functions.

22 Bishopsgate in London seen from Undershaft. Photo Credit: © Farbades420 via Wikimedia Commons.

One Canada Square

Website | Location: Canary Wharf, London E14 5AB
Height: 771 feet/231 metres

Often called simply Canary Wharf Tower, this was once the tallest building in London. Its distinctive pyramid roof can be seen from many parts of London. There is no viewing gallery but one is planned for the nearby HSBC Tower, which will be redesigned once the bank moves to a new location.

One Canada Square in London. Photo Credit: © Mattbuck via Wikimedia Commons.

The ‘Walkie Talkie’

Website | Location: Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 8AF
Height: 525 feet/160 metres

Officially named simply 20 Fenchurch Street, it is known universally by the nickname of Walkie Talkie because it is wider at the top than the bottom. It is home to the Sky Garden, which does not charge for entry although advance booking is advisable at Sky Garden London. The Walkie-Talkie is not a particularly tall building but contains thirty-seven floors of offices belonging to the Lee Kum Kee Group, who used the money gained from selling soy sauce to buy it for £1.3 billion in 2017. In a notorious incident some years ago a Jaguar was badly burned as a result of being parked under the building.

Walkie Talkie Building in London. Photo Credit: © Ursula Petula Barzey.

The BT Tower

Location: 60 Cleveland St, London W1T 4JZ
Height: 581 feet/177 metres

This Grade II listed building was built in the early 1960s and was once London’s tallest building. It was home to a famous revolving restaurant and has now been sold for redevelopment as a hotel. Before this happens, however, no public access is allowed and has not been since a bomb went off in 1971.

BT Tower in London. Photo Credit: © Ursula Petula Barzey.

Tower 42

Website | Location: Tower 42, 25 Old Broad St, London EC2N 1HN
Height: 600 feet/183 metres

Once (and sometimes still) called the NatWest Tower, this was also once London’s tallest building. Tower 42’s shape inspired the bank’s logo, although NatWest moved out in 1998. Designed by Richard Seiffert, it houses finance companies, a Michelin-starred restaurant and a Wellness Centre.

Tower 42 in London looking North from Bishopsgate. Photo Credit: © Colin / Wikimedia Commons.

Nelson’s Column

Location: Trafalgar Sq, London WC2N 5DS
Height: 169 feet/51 metres

The famous Trafalgar Square landmark does not allow public access and even climbing on Edwin Landseer’s lions resting beneath it is prohibited. Some have climbed up the outside, however, and the fourteen stonemasons who built it had a dinner party at the top when it was completed in 1843.

Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square in London. Photo Credit: © Ursula Petula Barzey.

Saint Paul’s Cathedral

Website | Location: St. Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD
Height: 365 feet/111 metres

Long before The Shard was built, Christopher Wren’s cathedral was, for over 250 years, London’s tallest building. An entry ticket lets you climb up to the Golden Gallery to admire the view. You can also see the Whispering Gallery and the inside of Wren’s dome as you ascend the 528 stairs.

St Paul’s Cathedral in London. Photo Credit: © Ursula Petula Barzey.

The Monument

Website | Location: Fish St. Hill, London, EC3R 8AH
Height: 202 feet/62 metres

As elevators did not exist at the time it was built after the Great Fire of 1666 you will have to climb 311 steps to reach the top of the Monument. Designed by Wren and his friend Robert Hooke, it is open daily and costs just £6. Grating at the top was added in the nineteenth century to prevent suicides.

Monument to the Great Fire of London. Photo Credit: © Ursula Petula Barzey.

London Eye

Website | Location: Riverside Building, County Hall, London SE1 7PB
Height: 443 feet/135 metres

With over three million visitors a year, the London Eye is the UK’s most popular paid attraction. The thirty-two pods take can twenty-eight customers who each pay £28 upwards. Go to londoneye.com to book. For £15 you can buy ‘Fast Track’ tickets which reduce waiting times that can stretch to over an hour.

The London Eye aka the Millennium Wheel. Photo Credit: © Ursula Petula Barzey.

The Gherkin

Website | Location: 30 St Mary Axe, London EC3A 8BF
Height: 590 feet/180 metres

Although the architect Norman Foster reportedly hates the name, the website (thegherkin.com) now uses it in preference to its correct name of 30 Mary Axe (formerly Swiss Re Tower). There is no viewing gallery but you can visit the top-floor restaurant and admire the view from this iconic building.

The Gherkin building in London. Photo Credit: © Ursula Petula Barzey.