Drapers' Gardens facts for kids

Drapers Gardens is a special place in the City of London. It's where Throgmorton Avenue and Copthall Avenue meet. This land belongs to the Drapers' Company, a very old group. Long ago, it was a beautiful garden. But by the 1900s, most of it had buildings on it. Since the 1960s, two big office buildings have stood here.

Drapers Gardens: A Look Back

Drapers' Hall Garden, 1860

For a long time, this area was mostly open land. This was because small streams from the River Walbrook made the ground very wet. It was hard to build there.

The Drapers' Company first used this land in 1544. Back then, it was a market garden. People grew plants and vegetables there. It was also a nice place for people to relax.

After the terrible Great Fire of London in 1666, buildings were put up on the west side of the gardens. For the next 200 years, much of the area stayed open. But by 1873, almost all the gardens were built over. Only a small part remains today. This small garden is next to Drapers' Hall.

Later, old buildings on the west side of Throgmorton Avenue were taken down. This made space for a new, very tall building.

Seifert's Drapers Gardens Skyscraper

Drapers Gardens skyscraper in 1983

The first modern Drapers Gardens was a huge skyscraper. It was built in the City of London. A famous architect named Richard Seifert designed it.

This skyscraper was about 100 metres (328 ft) (328 feet) tall. It had 30 floors! The building was finished in 1967. It stood tall for many years. But in 2007, it was taken down by a company called Keltbray.

After it was built, a bank called the National Provincial Bank used the building. Later, the National Westminster Bank used it too. It was extra office space for their main office nearby.

Many people had different ideas about the building. From Waterloo Bridge, it looked like the closest tall building to St Paul's Cathedral. Some people thought it was a great example of 1960s design. Richard Seifert, the architect, was very proud of it. He also designed another famous building, Tower 42.

When the Drapers Gardens skyscraper was demolished in 2007, it was the tallest building ever taken down in the United Kingdom. As of 2018, it shares this record. Another building, Southwark Towers, was demolished the year after Drapers Gardens.