CELEBRITY BUILDINGS

Iconic buildings

When old and new buildings vie for the snapshot – Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and 10 Downing Street finding new competition for celebrity status in London – London’s iconic buildings will always top the roster of “Things to see in London”. But the city’s new skyscrapers are moving up to take their place on the list. These newer “celebrity buildings” challenge the perception of conservative London because celebrity buildings do not blend in. They don’t meld into the ancient streetscapes. They have funny names and quirky stories and like other ‘celebrities’ defiantly stand out from the crowd. Tours of these architectural newcomers can take almost four hours, if outlying areas such as Southwark are to be included. With only an hour to spare, though, I contacted Insider’s London, who assigned a young architecture buff named Tobias to organise a tour covering many of the buildings I wanted to see. We met near Liverpool Street Underground station and were off on a mile-long hike from there to the river that took in six of the City of London’s most spectacular new structures.

Heron Tower

The Heron Tower, at 110 Bishopsgate, is a 46-storey building designed by Kohn, Pedersen Fox and completed in 2011. Controversial because of its perceived proximity to St Paul’s Cathedral when viewed from Waterloo Bridge, a public inquiry was held which ruled in favour of the developer. Peek into the reception to see the largest private aquarium in the UK. Two attendants are charged with piscine health and safety while a team of part-time divers clean the rock work and glass regularly. On Bishopsgate, there’s an entrance to the Heron Building with lifts to a restaurant and sky bar.

Tower 42

Tower 42 or the former "Nat West Tower", on Old Bond Street, was designed by Richard Seifert. Noted for its vertical steel fins and black glass facade, it was the first skyscraper in the city when opened in 1980 by Queen Elizabeth. It attracted considerable opposition when opened and made headlines when severely damaged by an IRA bomb in 1993. Ultimately, the building was refurbished and sold by Nat West. Renamed Tower 42 it is now a general purpose office building. The tower features in the early sequences of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and was used in the BBC-TV drama series, Sherlock. A bird study group tracks the migration of bird species over London from the tower’s roof.

The Gherkin

The Gherkin, at 30 St Mary Axe, is officially known as the Swiss Re Building, but was nicknamed the "Gherkin" to mock its pickle shape. The nickname stuck as affection grew for this most celebrated of London’s newlook buildings. Completed in 2004, the 41-storey structure by Norman Foster rears up unabashedly behind a church built in 1532. The Gherkin is made up of flat glass panels. Only the "lens" at the top is curved. The base of the structure is slightly indented, catching rainwater and channelling it inward. Entrances are reached over small bridges.

The Cheese Grater

"The Cheese Grater," or officially the Leadenhall Building, is one architect's answer to a policy of the City of London Corporation known as the “St Paul’s Heights”. Since 1938, the policy has protected local views of St Paul’s Cathedral. Leadenhall’s wedge shape was architect Richard Rodger’s solution for preserving the view of the cathedral from Fleet Street. The chief planning officer of the City of London famously remarked that it looked like something you’d use for grating Parmesan cheese – and its name was born. To be completed in 2014, the building will feature a 30-metre high atrium, open to the public.

Lloyds

Lloyds of London (1 Lime St.) is the Cheese Grater’s neighbour. Lloyds, the three-centuries-old insurance company, gave Richard Rodgers the brief for its new headquarters in 1980. The "Inside-Out" building was the result; all of its services – including staircases, lifts and water pipes – are located outside, giving tenants uncluttered interior space. The Lutine Bell, recovered from a ship wreck in 1858, hangs in the Rostrum. Traditionally it was rung once for the loss of a ship, twice for an overdue ship returning. Since 1989, having developed a crack, the bell has tolled only on Armistice Day, for the death of a member of the Royal Family or to commemorate a disaster like the Asian Tsunami.

Walkie-Talkie

"Walkie-Talkie Tower," at 20 Fenchurch Street, was designed by Rafael Vinoly. The nickname derives from the building’s fancied resemblance to an old style walkie-talkie. However, in 2013 some journalists were calling it the "Walkie Scorchie" and others the "Fryscraper", after its concave south-facing facade focussed the sun’s rays down on the street, causing bits of a parked Jaguar to melt and setting fire to the paintwork of neighbouring buildings. To be completed in 2014, plans for the building’s top three storeys include a large viewing deck and sky garden, cafe and restaurant open to the public.

Plastic Building

My guide, Tobias led us past the "Plastic Building", known formally as the Walbrook Building. From that vantage point, we had a distant view of the "Electric Razor", the residential Strata Tower that incorporates three wind generators on the roof and has been voted the "ugliest building in London". We then ducked into a passageway leading out to the Hanseatic Walk for a splendid view of the 72-storey "Shard" across the Thames. Designed by Renzo Piano, it is at this writing the tallest building in Europe.  

New tours

As visitor interest in London’s modern architecture has grown, new tours have appeared. They include Insider London’s "Join In" modern architecture walking tours. The tours, which run 3-1/2 hours’ long, include a coffee break - begin at 10am on Sundays and at 1pm on Wednesdays. To book a place on a ‘Join-In’ tour or arrange a private tour at your own convenience, contact: www.insider-london.co.uk.