The Gherkin London Skyscraper

The Gherkin London

History | Architecture | Access | London Skyscrapers

30 St Mary Axe, aka The Gherkin, due to its distinctive shape, is a 180 metre-tall skyscraper in London that stands on ground that was formerly occupied by the Baltic Exchange building.

History

The Gherkin opened as the Swiss Re Building in 2004 and completed the redevelopment of the old Grade II listed Baltic Exchange, which had been damaged by a huge IRA bomb in 1992.

The distinctive skyscraper in the City of London

Architecture

The Gherkin was designed by the British architect Norman Foster and has become an icon of London’s contemporary architecture. The building is known for its eco-friendliness and energy-saving design. Foster’s other buildings in the UK are many. They include the Terminal Building at London Stansted Airport, the Headquarters of ITN, at 200 Grays Inn Road in London, the Faculty of Law in Cambridge, the National Sea Life Centre in Birmingham, and the redesign of the Great Court at the British Museum.

The top (41st) floor is an exclusive bar and restaurant, Helix and Iris, open to the public, with spectacular 360-degree views over London.

The Gherkin changed hands in 2007 for a record £630 million, making the skyscraper Britain’s most expensive office building at the time.

The London landmark was designed by the prolific British architect Norman Foster

Access – Getting There

The nearest tube station to the Gherkin is Aldgate on the Circle and Metropolitan lines, with Liverpool Street Station a little farther to the north.

Liverpool Street Station is on various mainline routes as well as the Central, Hammersmith & City, and Circle lines.

Bank Station on the Central, Northern, and Waterloo & City lines of the London tube network is to the west. The station is also on the DLR (Docklands Light Railway).

If you wish to stay in this area of London there are several recommended options. These include the five-star The Ned, which is close to Bank Station, the four-star Apex Temple Court Hotel, and The Chamberlain, north of Tower Bridge.