BT Tower

Yeah, let's just admit upfront that there’s going to be a lot of very tall buildings on this blog. This one’s near my parents’ office so I use it as a landmark a lot. 

It used to be called the Post Office Tower, and was built between 1961 and 1964. It’s 581ft tall (if you don’t count the antennae) and there used to be a restaurant that was open to the public. 

Sadly, the tower isn’t open to the public at all these days except during Open House weekend (http://www.londonopenhouse.org/), and then it seems you have to apply for tickets and hope you get picked. 


Tempting...

 

 

(the reflection is one of the Arup buildings though I can't remember which one off the top of my head, and the night one was on the 4th of Feb when it was bloody cold and snowing and all the public transport in London fell over and wouldn't get up)

St Mary Axe

The street is named after a church which used to occupy the site. The church was closed in 1560, which makes it quite unusual in the City as most of the pre-Wren churches got burned down. And apparently it claimed to have one of the three axes used by Attila the Hun to behead 11,000 virgins said to have accompanied Saint Ursula on a mission to convert the heathens.

OF COURSE.

But, honestly, most people know St Mary Axe because of the 590ft high ridiculous Norman Foster designed Gherkin.

Ah, the Gherkin. Not my favourite shiny new building (that’s not even finished yet, but trust me, we'll get to it), but it definitely makes an impact. Although, let's be honest, since you found out about the axe (and that they thought it was worth showing off), you don't care so much about the Gherkin, do you?