Tower 42
25 Old Broad Street
London
EC2N 1HQ
T: 020 7877 7777
Visitor Information
Architect: Richard Seifert
Built: 1980
Size: 183 metres high
Awards: BOMA International Office building of the Year 2004/05, 2005/06 and 2007/08 / Clean City Platinum Award 2006
Engineer: Pell Frischmann
At 183 metres high Tower 42 is the City of London’s tallest building (soon to be overtaken by the Heron Tower and Leadenhall Building) and was the first to break the restrictions on skycrapers in London. It remained London’s tallest, and only, skyscraper until Canada Square at Canary Wharf was built in 1990. It was originally built for NatWest at a cost £72m – hence its oft still-used nickname ‘the NatWest tower’ and the three hexagonal chevrons of the building resemble the bank’s logo. Its current name reflects its 42 floors.
The building is constructed around a concrete core from which the floors are cantilevered, constructed to take advantage of the air rights granted to it and the neighbouring site. Shimmering close-set vertical steel fins, with black glass in between, emphasise the building’s perpendicularity. The floors are served by 19 passenger lifts. The Bishopsgate bombing of 1993 caused over £1bn worth of damage and it underwent a comprehensive refurbishment in 1995. At the top is a champagne bar and on the 24th floor is Michelin starred restaurant Rhodes 24. The building is now owned by Tower Limited Partnership, a consortium comprising BlackRock and Hermes Real Estate.