List of tallest buildings and structures in Glasgow facts for kids

The Glasgow Tower, completed in 2001, at 127 m (417 ft) tall

St Andrew House, completed in 1964 and 71 m (233 ft) tall

Cineworld Glasgow, the tallest cinema complex in the world at 62 m (203 ft) tall

Welcome to Glasgow, Scotland's biggest city! This article will tell you all about its tallest buildings and structures. Glasgow has many impressive tall buildings, from older apartment blocks built in the 1960s to modern offices and hotels.

The very tallest structure in Glasgow today is the Glasgow Tower. It stands at 127 metres (417 ft) (about 417 feet) tall and is part of the Glasgow Science Centre. But did you know that the tallest building ever in Glasgow was the Tait Tower? It was 91 m (299 ft) tall and built for a big exhibition in 1938, but it was taken down just one year later!

In the 1960s, Glasgow built many tall apartment buildings, called tower blocks. This was to help with a big housing shortage after the war. Glasgow became the first city in Britain with so many high-rise buildings. However, some of these buildings weren't built very well, and over time, many were taken down.

Later, in 1988, new tall buildings started to appear again, like the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Since the 1990s, developers have been planning and building new, fancy tall homes and offices, especially near the River Clyde. Some really tall skyscrapers were planned, but they didn't get built because of money problems.

Glasgow's Skyline: What's the Tallest?
Glasgow's Tallest Buildings and Structures
- Tallest Buildings You Can See Today
- Other Notable Tall Structures
Buildings That Are No Longer Here
Images for kids
See also

Glasgow's Skyline: What's the Tallest?

Glasgow City Centre skyline

It can be tricky to say exactly which building is the "tallest" in Glasgow, because it depends on how you measure!

The Glasgow Tower is the tallest free-standing structure in Glasgow, and in all of Scotland! It's 127 m (417 ft) tall, but this measurement includes its pointy top, called a spire. This amazing tower even holds a Guinness World Record because the whole building can spin around 360 degrees!
After some very tall apartment blocks were taken down in 2015, the two western tower blocks of the Balgrayhill estate in Springburn are now the tallest apartment buildings still standing in Glasgow.

Glasgow's Tallest Buildings and Structures

Here's a list of some of the tallest buildings and structures that are already built in Glasgow.

Tallest Buildings You Can See Today

Rank	Name	Height	Floors	Year Built	Main Use	Fun Facts
1	Glasgow Tower	127 m (417 ft)	2	2001	Viewing Platform	Holds a Guinness World Record for being the tallest tower in the world that can rotate all the way around!
2	Glasgow University Tower	85 m (279 ft)	?	1887	University	A very old and grand university building.
3=	22 Viewpoint Place	78 m (256 ft)	26	1964	Homes	Located in Springburn.
3=	42 Viewpoint Place	78 m (256 ft)	26	1964	Homes	Located in Springburn.
3=	120 Wyndford Road	78 m (256 ft)	26	1964	Homes	Located in Wyndford.
3=	151 Wyndford Road	78 m (256 ft)	26	1964	Homes	Located in Wyndford.
3=	171 Wyndford Road	78 m (256 ft)	26	1964	Homes	Located in Wyndford.
3=	190 Wyndford Road	78 m (256 ft)	26	1964	Homes	Located in Wyndford.
3=	15 Croftbank Street	78 m (256 ft)	26	1964	Homes	Located in Springburn.
3=	250 Edgefauld Road	78 m (256 ft)	26	1964	Homes	Located in Springburn.
11=	2 Taylor Place	75 m (246 ft)	25	1967	Homes	Located in Townhead.
11=	15 Grafton Place	75 m (246 ft)	25	1967	Homes	Located in Townhead.
11=	12 Dobbie's Loan Place	75 m (246 ft)	25	1967	Homes	Located in Townhead.
11=	7 St. Mungo Place	75 m (246 ft)	25	1967	Homes	Located in Townhead.
11=	178 Balgrayhill Road	75 m (246 ft)	25	1964	Homes	This is one of the highest points built by people in Glasgow. Located in Springburn.
11=	198 Balgrayhill Road	75 m (246 ft)	25	1964	Homes	This is one of the highest points built by people in Glasgow. Located in Springburn.
17	Glasgow City Chambers	73 m (240 ft)	4	1889	Government Building	Where the city's government works.
18	St. Andrew House	71 m (233 ft)	18	1964	Hotel	It became a Premier Inn hotel in 2012. The rooms on the 18th floor are the highest hotel rooms in Glasgow!
19	Hilton Glasgow	70 m (230 ft)	20	1992	Hotel	A well-known hotel in the city.
20=	There are ten other apartment blocks from the 1960s and one modern apartment block that are all the same height.	69 m (226 ft)	24	Various	Homes	These are found in areas like Hutchesontown, Cowcaddens, Knightswood, and Glasgow Harbour.
21	Anniesland Court	66 m (217 ft)	24	1968	Homes	This is the tallest building in Scotland that is officially protected as a historic building. It's the only apartment block in Glasgow with a special 'Category A' listing. Located in Anniesland.
22=	Cineworld Glasgow	62 m (203 ft)	16	2001	Cinema	This is the tallest cinema complex in the whole world!
22=	Argyle Building	62 m (203 ft)	20	2008	Homes	A modern apartment building.
22=	Bridle Works Building	62 m (203 ft)	20	2021	Student Homes	Provides housing for students.
25	Queen Elizabeth University Hospital	60 m (200 ft)	14	2015	Hospital	A large hospital in the city.
26	Block H2 – Central Quay	58 m (190 ft)	20	2022	Homes and Shops	Part of a new development called Central Quay.
27	Crowne Plaza Glasgow	55 m (180 ft)	17	1989	Hotel	Part of the SECC area.
28	Buchanan Wharf towers	54 m (177 ft)	19	2023	Mixed Use	These buildings are part of the Buchanan Wharf complex.
29	Elmbank Gardens	53 m (174 ft)	15	1973	Hotel	It used to be an office building, but it was turned into a hotel in 1995.
30	Livingstone Tower	52 m (171 ft)	17	1965	University	This building is part of the University of Strathclyde.
31	1 Atlantic Square	45 m (148 ft)	10	2022	Office	Located in the city's financial area.

Other Notable Tall Structures

Here are some other tall structures in Glasgow that are not buildings, but are still very impressive!

Name	Height	Year Built	Main Use	Fun Facts
Cathkin Braes wind turbine	125 m (410 ft) 80 m (260 ft)	2013	Wind turbine	This turbine helps make clean energy.
Glasgow Cathedral	68.6 m (225 ft)	1197	Cathedral	A very old and beautiful church.
St Andrew's West Church	67 m (220 ft)	1852	Church	Another historic church in Glasgow.
St Columba Church	61 m (200 ft)	1904	Cathedral	A tall church building.
St Mary's Cathedral	60.5 m (198 ft)	1893	Cathedral	A grand cathedral.
Finnieston Crane	53 m (174 ft)	1931	Cantilever crane	A famous landmark that used to lift heavy cargo at the docks.

Buildings That Are No Longer Here

Glasgow has also seen some very tall buildings and structures that have since been taken down.

Name	Image	Height	Year Built	Year Demolished	Fun Facts
Townsend Chimney		138 m (453 ft)	1859	1928	This was the tallest chimney in the world from 1859 to 1889!
Tennant's Stalk		133 m (436 ft)	1842	1922	This was the tallest chimney in the world before the Townsend Chimney. It was taken down after being hit by lightning!
Pinkston Power Station cooling tower		94 m (308 ft)	1952	1976	When it was built, this was the largest cooling tower in Europe!
Tait Tower		91.4 m (300 ft)	1938	1939	Built for the 1938 Empire Exhibition, but only stood for one year.
109 Bluevale Street		90.8 m (298 ft)	1968	2015	This was one of the tallest apartment buildings in Scotland.
51 Whitevale Street		90.8 m (298 ft)	1968	2015	Also one of the tallest apartment buildings in Scotland.
10 Red Road Court		89 m (292 ft)	1967	2015	At the time they were built, these were some of the tallest apartment buildings in Europe!
33 Petershill Drive		89 m (292 ft)	1967	2015	Another one of the Red Road Flats.
63 Petershill Drive		89 m (292 ft)	1967	2015	Part of the famous Red Road Flats.
93 Petershill Drive		89 m (292 ft)	1967	2015	One of the Red Road Flats.
123 Petershill Drive		89 m (292 ft)	1967	2015	The last of the tallest Red Road Flats.
21 Birnie Court		89 m (292 ft)	1967	2013	Another one of the Red Road Flats.
153-213 Petershill Court		78 m (256 ft)	1967	2012	A slightly shorter Red Road Flat.
10-30 Petershill Court		74 m (243 ft)	1967	2015	Another Red Road Flat.
Clydesdale Bank Tower		73 m (240 ft)	1987	1989	Built for the Glasgow Garden Festival, then moved to Wales!
240 Roystonhill		72 m (236 ft)	1967	1992	Located in Royston.
20 Rosemount Street		72 m (236 ft)	1967	2013	Located in Royston.
40 Rosemount Street		72 m (236 ft)	1967	2016	Located in Royston.
	Ten other apartment blocks from the 1960s were also taken down.	69 m (226 ft)	24	Various	Homes	These were in areas like Laurieston, Gorbals, and Hutchesontown.