аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û

The Shard is the tallest building in the UK. By © User: Colin / 

The Tallest Buildings in  the United Kingdom

In history, the United Kingdom has never been recognized for having tall buildings but the cathedral. It has been observed that there has never been growth in the number of tall buildings even in the 20th century.

Even though they are several skyscrapers in the United  Kingdom, most of them are situated in the big cities, which may mainly include London and Manchester.

According to 2022, there are about 137 buildings in the United Kingdom that are taller than 100meters and still functional. They include the following,

1. The Shard

The Shard is also known as the Shard of Glass or Shard London Bridge. It was previously called London Bridge Tower. It is a 72-story skyscraper, that was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, in Southwark London.

It is 309.6 meters high, making it the tallest building in the United Kingdom and the seven tallest buildings in Europe.

2. 22 Bishopsgate

22 Bishopsgate is also called Twenty-two, it is a commercial skyscraper in London, United Kingdom. The building was completed in 2020. It is 278m tall with 62 stores. The original plan was to construct a building which is a 288m Tower to be called the Pinnacle but was suspended in 2008. 

3. One Canada Square

Looking towards 1 Canada Square over the City Canal. By mattbuck (category) – Own work ,

One Canada Square is a skyscraper in Canary Wharf, London. The building was completed in 1991 and it is the third tallest building in the United Kingdom with a height of 770feet tall above the ground level. It has about 59 stores.

It was designed by Cesar Pelli with Adamson Associates and Frede.

4. Landmark Pinnacle

Landmark Pinnacle is a skyscraper, that was constructed by a developer Chalegrove Properties in Marsh Wall on the Isle of Dogs, London, United Kingdom. It is the tallest residential building in Europe with a height of 233m tall. It was previously called the City Pride before its name changed in 2016.

5.110 Bishopsgate

It is also referred to as Salesforce Tower, 110 Bishopsgate. It was previously called Heron Tower. It’s a commercial skyscraper in London. It is the second tallest building in the city of London’s financial district with a height of 230m tall. It is also the fifth tallest building in Greater London and the United Kingdom. It is bordered by Camomile Street, Outwich Street, and Houndsditch.

6. Leadenhall building 

Cheese grater” (122 Leadenhall Street) and “The Gherkin” (30 St Mary Axe). By © User: Colin /

Leadenhall building is also known as Leadenhall Street. It is a skyscraper in central London, which is 225m tall. It was designed by Roger Stirk Harbor and partners.  It is also called The Cheese grater due to its distinctive wedge shape that is similar to that of the kitchen utensils.

It is categorized as one of the tallest buildings that have recently been completed in the City of London Financial District. It was opened in July 2014. The building is adjacent to the Lloyd’s Building which was also designed by Roger. 

7. Newfoundland

Newfoundland is located between Westferry Road and Bank Street on the Isle of Dogs, London. It is a 220m  residential skyscraper.

It was designed by architects Horden Cherry Lee and structural engineers WSP Global. It was then opened for rental in May 2021.

8. South Quay Plaza

South Quay Plaza is a residential-led development under construction in Canary Wharf on the Isle of Dogs, London, within the Borough of Tower Hamlets developed by Berkeley Group Holdings that was designed by architect Foster and Partners.

The building was scheduled to be completed in 2022. The development of the building includes three towers, which involve the tallest Tower, Hampton Tower, which has a height of 214.5m making it the second-tallest residential skyscraper. 

9. One Park Drive 

This is a residential skyscraper that is located in the southwest corner of Wood Wharf, in the Canary Wharf development on the Isle of Dogs, London. It was designed by Herzog & de Meuron. The building is a cylindrical shape, with a 58-story that includes about 468 private residential apartments.

10. 8 Canada Square

HSBC Building, 8 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London, UK, By Danesman1 – Own work,

It is also known as the HSBC Tower. It is a skyscraper in Canary Wharf, London. It has about 45 stories and houses. The building also serves as the global headquarters of the HSBC Group.

Its construction began in 1999 and commenced in 2000. It was installed with 4900 glass panels. The construction was carried out by the Canary Wharf Contractors. The building is said to have many owners wherein 2007 it was sold to Metrovacesa a Spanish property company making it the first building in Britain to be sold for more than £1bn, 2009 it was later sold to the National Pension Service after Metrovacesa encountered problems with refinancing the bridging loan that HSBC had provided. It is currently owned by Qatar Investment Authority after they competed in purchasing the building at an undisclosed price in 2014.

11. Citigroup Centre

Citigroup Centre is a building complex in London. It is formed by two merged buildings which are 33 Canada Square and 25 Canada Square. It is located in the Canary Wharfs in the city’s Docklands. It houses Citigroup’s EMEA headquarters. 

It is the Joint 4 tallest building in the united kingdom. It was designed by Cesar Pelli & Associates.

12. The Scalpel

This is a commercial skyscraper in London, United Kingdom. It is 190m tall with 38 stories, it was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox. It is located on Lime Street in the City of London financial area. The scalpel was originally the nickname of the building which was later made an official name. 

It was built for insurance company W. R. Berkley and it is also the firm’s new European headquarters. It also houses Axis Novae, National Australia Bank, Morrison& Foerster, Britannia Financial Group, and Convex.

13. Tower 42

Tower 42 looking north from Bishopsgate 2011-05-04, By © User: Colin /

It is also known as the NatWest Tower,  since it was originally known as the National Westminster Tower, having been built to house NatWest’s international headquarters. It is a 183-meter tall skyscraper, thus the fifth tallest tower in the City of London and the fifteenth tallest in London. It was made the tallest building 1980s and held its status for about 30 years after it was surpassed by Heron Tower in December 2009.

The building was designed by Richard Seifert and engineered by Pell Frischman. It is located at 25 Old Broad Street in the ward of Cornhill. The building today is multi-tenanted and comprises Grade A office spaces and restaurant facilities, whereby the restaurants housed are on the 24th and 42nd floors.