1. The Shard
Nickname: London Bridge Tower
City: London
Location: London Bridge
Height: 310m
Number of floors: 95
Year completed: 2012
Completed in 2012, The Shard towers over all other buildings in the UK, a whopping 75m taller than the next tallest building; One Canary Wharf. As well as being the tallest building in the UK, it is also the tallest building in the EU, and the 96th tallest building in the world. As a primarily commercial structure, it is home to 31 private companies from a variety of sectors, including media, beverages, jewellery, marketing, and more. The viewing deck at the top of the structure is open to the public, and offers unrivalled views across the capital.
2. One Canada Square
Nickname: Canary Wharf Tower
City: London
Location: Canary Wharf
Height: 235m
Number of floors: 50
Year completed: 1991
One of the UK”s most iconic skyscrapers, One Canada Square is famed – among other things – for its appearance in the title credits of the British reality TV show “The Apprentice”. At the time of its construction in 1991, it was the tallest building in the United Kingdom, a status it retained until The Shard was completed in 2012. The building”s iconic pyramid pinnacle is unusual for UK architecture, in that it contains a flashing aircraft warning light. It is home to a wide range of businesses from the private sector.
3. 110 Bishopsgate
Nickname: Heron Tower
City: London
Location: City of London
Height: 230m
Number of floors: 46
Year completed: 2010
Located a stone”s throw away from Liverpool Street Station, Heron Tower is the tallest building in the City of London. The tower is home to a wide variety of private sector businesses, including Salesforce, a number of law firms, a recruitment firm, and many more. There is also a bar at the top of the tower, which is open to the public.
4. Leadenhall Building
Nickname: The Cheesegrater
City: London
Location: City of London
Height: 225m
Number of floors: 48
Year completed: 2014
The second tallest building in the City of London, this commanding structure is a commercial property, home to various financial businesses including insurance giants AON. Nestled right in the centre of the City of London, it is one of the most recognizable structures in London”s financial district. Its wedge shape has led to it being nicknamed the Cheesegrater.
5. (tied) 8 Canada Square
Nickname: HSBC Tower
City: London
Location: Canary Wharf
Height: 200m
Number of floors: 45
Year completed: 2002
8 Canada Square was completed in 2002, as the new home for HSBC”s global headquarters. The building was designed by Norman Foster, the architect behind the Gherkin, and other incredible London works of architecture, including the British Museum concourse, the Millennium Bridge, and the new Wembley Stadium. It is the second tallest building in Canary Wharf.
5. (tied) 25 Canada Square
Nickname: Citigroup Centre
City: London
Location: Canary Wharf
Height: 200m
Number of floors: 45
Year completed: 2001
25 Canada Square is a building that makes up part of the Citigroup Complex along with 33 Canada Square. The complex is home to investment bank Citigroup”s European, Middle East, and African operations, as well as a host of other private and public companies. Construction began in 1998, and finished in 2001.
7. Tower 42
Nickname: Formerly known as NatWest Tower
City: London
Location: City of London
Height: 183m
Number of floors: 47
Year completed: 1980
Tower 42 is one of many London skyscrapers designed by the late, great Richard Seifert. The third tallest building in the City of London, it was once wholly owned by banking giant NatWest. However, following an IRA terrorist attack and subsequent heavy repairs in the 1990s, NatWest sold the building. It is now occupied by a vast array of businesses, primarily in the financial sector.
8. St George Wharf Tower
Nickname: Vauxhall Tower
City: London
Location: Vauxhall
Height: 181m
Number of floors: 52
Year completed: 2014
St George”s Wharf, a residential building in Vauxhall, South London was completed in 2014. The cylindrical floor plan on each floor is divided into five apartments from the centre, with each flat shaped like a wedge or pizza slice. The building features business amenities, a gym, a spa, and a swimming pool, as well as a sky garden for residents to enjoy.
9. 30 St Mary Axe
Nickname: The Gherkin
City: London
Location: City of London
Height: 180m
Number of floors: 41
Year completed: 2003
The Gherkin”s distinctive cylindrical style makes it one of the most iconic buildings in the London skyline. The design of the building was a joint venture between Norman Foster and the Arup Group. The commercial building is occupied by a wide variety of private sector businesses, and is heavily dominated by companies in the financial sector.
10. BT Tower (London)
Nickname: Formerly called the GPO Tower, the Post Office Tower, and the Telecom Tower
City: London
Location: Fitzrovia
Height: 177m
Number of floors: 37
Year completed: 1964
Fitzrovia”s BT Tower was – at the time of completion – the tallest building in Britain, supplanting the 118m Millbank Tower as the UK”s biggest. Visible from many parts of Central London, it was originally designed to be just 111m, but the overall height was increased during the building process. There is a viewing gallery, restaurant, and souvenir shop at the top of the building.
11. Beetham Tower
Nickname: The Hilton Tower
City: Manchester
Location: Deansgate
Height: 169m
Number of floors: 47
Year completed: 2006
The Beetham Tower in Manchester is the tallest building in Britain”s second city, and the tallest in the UK outside of London. It is distinctive in shape, being wider at the top than it is at the bottom; an unusual architectural feature for a building in Britain. It is also notable for being one of the thinnest skyscrapers in the world. The tower has multiple uses, featuring residential space, office space, and a hotel.
12. Broadgate Tower
Nickname: None
City: London
Location: The City of London
Height: 161m
Number of floors: 33
Year completed: 2009
Home to various private companies, Broadgate Tower is located in the City of London. The distinctive architectural style, featuring criss crossed beaming over the windows, gives it a similar appearance to the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong. The building was designed by design firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, a company that occupy part of the tower to this day.
13. 20 Fenchurch Street
Nickname: The Walkie Talkie
City: London
Location: The City of London
Height: 160m
Number of floors: 34
Year completed: 2014
The uniquely nicknamed Walkie Talkie is located in the City of London. The tower was originally supposed to be nearly 200m tall, but its height was reduced following fears that it would block views of the Tower of London and St Paul”s. The building is leased by various insurance and finance companies, and features a viewing deck on the top floors that is open to the public.
14. One Churchill Place
Nickname: None
City: London
Location: Canary Wharf
Height: 156m
Number of floors: 32
Year completed: 2004
The headquarters of Barclays Bank, One Churchill Place was completed in 2004. It was commissioned in the mid-noughties when Barclays decided to move its centre of operations from the City of London to Canary Wharf, which was cementing its reputation as a major business hub at the time. While Barclays use the vast majority of the building, three floors are leased to another private company.
15. (tied) 40 Bank Street
Nickname: None
City: London
Location: Canary Wharf
Height: 153m
Number of floors: 33
Year completed: 2003
40 Bank Street is a commercial building in Canary Wharf, East London. It houses a number of different businesses, including JLL, Royal Dutch Shell, and St. James”s Place. It was built in conjunction with 25 Bank Street, and therefore has the same specifications.
15. (tied) 25 Bank Street
Nickname: None
City: London
Location: Canary Wharf
Height: 153m
Number of floors: 33
Year completed: 2003
25 Bank Street is a commercial building in Canary Wharf, East London. It currently houses the European HQ of investment bank JP Morgan. It was previously home to Lehman Brothers, who used the building from when it opened, until the firm went bankrupt in 2008. It was built in conjunction with 40 Bank Street, and therefore has the same specifications.
17. BT Tower (Birmingham)
Nickname: Formerly known as the Post Office Tower and the GPO Tower
City: Birmingham
Location: City centre
Height: 152m
Number of floors: 31
Year completed: 1966
Birmingham”s BT Tower is a telecommunications tower that also houses office space for BT workers. It is the tallest building not only in Birmingham, but in the entirety of the Midlands. When construction was completed in 1966, it was one of the tallest structures in the country, beaten only by a similar BT Tower in Central London.
18. (tied) South Bank Tower
Nickname: Formerly known as King”s Reach Tower
City: London
Location: Southwark
Height: 151m
Number of floors: 41
Year completed: 1972 (Extended in 2015)
South Bank Tower is a luxury residential building in Central London, with apartments that can cost millions of pounds to purchase outright. The building was designed by architect Richard Seifert, responsible for a number of skyscrapers across Central London, and other urban centres across the rest of the UK. However, it underwent an extension in 2015, increasing its height from 111m to 151m, securing it a spot in the top 20 tallest UK buildings.
18. (tied) 10 Upper Bank Street
Nickname: None
City: London
Location: Canary Wharf
Height: 151m
Number of floors: 32
Year completed: 2003
10 Upper Bank Street is a commercial skyscraper located in Canary Wharf, London. It was designed by American architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox, which has designed skyscrapers for cities across the world, including Shanghai, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Paris, and more. The building is mostly home to law firm Clifford Chance – one of the UK”s “Magic Circle” law firms, though a number of other companies take up the remaining space.
20. Arena Tower