List of tallest buildings and structures in the United Kingdom by usage facts for kids

Have you ever wondered which buildings and structures in the United Kingdom reach highest into the sky? This article explores the tallest buildings and structures in the UK, grouped by what they are used for. Get ready to discover some amazing giants!

UK's Tallest Buildings

Towering Castles: UK's Tallest Fortresses

Castles are old, strong buildings that were once homes for kings, queens, and powerful lords. They were also built to protect people. Here are some of the tallest castles in the UK:

Rank	Building	Location	Image	Height	Year Built	Notes
1	Warwick Castle	Warwick, Warwickshire		45 m (148 ft)	1360	Caesar's Tower is the tallest part.
2	Rochester Castle	Rochester, Kent		38 m (125 ft)	1127	This castle has very tall turrets.
3	Caernarfon Castle	Caernarfon, Gwynedd		35 m (115 ft)	1330
4	Tattershall Castle	Tattershall, Lincolnshire		33.5 m (110 ft)	1446
5	Tower of London	Tower Hamlets, London		32 m (105 ft)*	1078	The White Tower is the main tall part.
6	Conwy Castle	Conwy, Gwynedd		30 m (98 ft)	1289
6	Richmond Castle	Richmond, North Yorkshire		30 m (98 ft)	1200
6	Portchester Castle	Portchester, Hampshire		30 m (98 ft)	1200
9	Conisbrough Castle	Conisbrough, South Yorkshire		29.5 m (97 ft)	1180
10	Dover Castle	Dover, Kent		29 m (95 ft)	1180

*This height is an estimate.

Residential Giants: UK's Tallest Homes

These buildings are mostly used for people to live in, like huge apartment blocks. The very tallest building that has some homes in it is The Shard in London, which is 309.6 m (1,016 ft) tall.

Rank	Building	Location	Image	Height	Year Built	Notes
1	Landmark Pinnacle	Tower Hamlets, London		233 m (764 ft)	2020
2	Newfoundland Place	Tower Hamlets, London		220 m (720 ft)	2020
3	Hampton Tower	Tower Hamlets, London		215 m (705 ft)	2021
4	One Park Drive	Tower Hamlets, London		205 m (673 ft)	2021
5	Deansgate Square South Tower	Castlefield, Manchester		201 m (659 ft)	2020
6	One Nine Elms City Tower	Wandsworth, London		199 m (653 ft)	2022
7	Wardian East Tower	Tower Hamlets, London		187 m (614 ft)	2020
8	One West Point Block A (Icon Tower)	Ealing, London		184 m (604 ft)	2022
9	Amory Tower (The Madison)	Tower Hamlets, London		182 m (597 ft)	2020
10	The Tower, One St George Wharf	Lambeth, London		181 m (594 ft)	2013

Business Towers: UK's Tallest Offices

These buildings are mainly used for offices and businesses. The tallest building that has some offices in it is The Shard in London, which is 309.6 m (1,016 ft) tall.

Rank	Building	Location	Image	Height	Year Built	Notes
1	22 Bishopsgate	City of London, London		278 m (912 ft)	2020
2	One Canada Square	Tower Hamlets, London		235 m (771 ft)	1991
3	Heron Tower	City of London, London		230 m (750 ft)	2010
4	122 Leadenhall Street	City of London, London		225 m (738 ft)	2014
5	8 Bishopsgate	City of London, London		204 m (669 ft)	2022
6	HSBC Tower	Tower Hamlets, London		200 m (660 ft)	2002
6	Citigroup Centre	Tower Hamlets, London		200 m (660 ft)	2001
8	The Scalpel	City of London, London		190 m (620 ft)	2018
9	Tower 42	City of London, London		183 m (600 ft)	1980
10	The Gherkin	City of London, London		180 m (590 ft)	2003

Government Buildings: UK's Tallest Public Offices

These are buildings where the government or public services work.

Rank	Building	Location	Image	Height	Year Built	Notes
1	Victoria Tower	City of Westminster, London		102 m (335 ft)	1858	Part of the Houses of Parliament.
3	Manchester Town Hall	Manchester, Greater Manchester		87.2 m (286 ft)	1877
4	Civil Justice Centre	Manchester, Greater Manchester		80 m (260 ft)	2007
5	Royal Courts of Justice	Westminster, London		74.6 m (245 ft)	1882
6	Glasgow City Chambers	Glasgow, Scotland		73 m (240 ft)	1890
6	Government Buildings	Cardiff, Wales		73 m (240 ft)
8	Leeds Town Hall	Leeds, West Yorkshire		69 m (226 ft)	1858
8	High Commission of New Zealand	City of Westminster, London		69 m (226 ft)	1963
10	Central Criminal Court	London		66.6 m (219 ft)	1907

Healing Heights: UK's Tallest Hospitals

These are the tallest buildings used as hospitals, where people go for medical care.

Rank	Building	Location	Image	Height	Year Built	Notes
1	Guy's Tower	Southwark, London		143 m (469 ft)	1973
2	Royal London Hospital Tower 2	Tower Hamlets, London		101 m (331 ft)	2010
3	Royal London Hospital Tower 1	Tower Hamlets, London		97 m (318 ft)	2010
4	University College Hospital	Camden, London		78 m (256 ft)	2005
5	Royal Hallamshire Hospital	Sheffield, South Yorkshire		76 m (249 ft)	1979
5	Belfast City Hospital	Belfast, Northern Ireland		76 m (249 ft)	1986

Hotel High-Rises: UK's Tallest Hotels

These buildings are mainly used as hotels, offering rooms for travelers. The tallest building that includes a hotel is The Shard in London, which is 309.6 m (1,016 ft) tall.

Rank	Building	Location	Image	Height	Year Built	Notes
1	40 Marsh Wall	Canary Wharf, London		127 m (417 ft)	2017
2	London Hilton on Park Lane	City of Westminster, London		101 m (331 ft)	1963
3	Hilton London Metropole	City of Westminster, London		91 m (299 ft)	1972
4	Holiday Inn Kensington Forum	Kensington, London		84 m (276 ft)	1963
5	Premier Inn Leicester City Centre	Leicester, Leicestershire		82 m (269 ft)	1965
5	St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel	St Pancras, London		82 m (269 ft)	1873

Artistic Heights: UK's Tallest Museums and Galleries

These are the tallest buildings used to display art and historical items.

Rank	Building	Location	Image	Height	Year Built	Notes
1	Tate Modern	Southwark, London		99 m (325 ft)	1963
2	Natural History Museum	Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London		58 m (190 ft)	1880
3	Eden Project	St Blazey, Cornwall		55 m (180 ft)	2001
3	Imperial War Museum North	Trafford, Greater Manchester		55 m (180 ft)	2002
5	Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery	Birmingham, West Midlands		46 m (151 ft)	1885
6	Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art	Gateshead, Tyne and Wear		42 m (138 ft)	1950

Sacred Spires: UK's Tallest Places of Worship

These are the tallest churches, cathedrals, and other religious buildings in the UK.

Rank	Building	Location	Image	Height	Year Built	Notes
1	Salisbury Cathedral	Salisbury, Wiltshire		123 m (404 ft)	1320
2	St Paul's Cathedral	City of London, London		111 m (364 ft)	1711
3	Liverpool Cathedral	Liverpool, Merseyside		101 m (331 ft)	1978
4	Norwich Cathedral	Norwich, Norfolk		96 m (315 ft)	1480
5	Church of St Walburge, Preston	Preston, Lancashire		94 m (308 ft)	1854
6	St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh (Episcopal)	Edinburgh, Scotland		90 m (300 ft)	1917
7	St James' Church, Louth	Louth, Lincolnshire		89.9 m (295 ft)	1515
8	St Mary Redcliffe	Bristol		89 m (292 ft)	1872
9	Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral	Liverpool, Merseyside		87 m (285 ft)	1967
9	Westminster Cathedral	City of Westminster, London		87 m (285 ft)	1903
11	St Wulfram's Church, Grantham	Grantham, Lincolnshire		86 m (282 ft)	1360
11	St Elphin's Church, Warrington	Warrington, Cheshire		86 m (282 ft)	1867
13	St Mary Abbots	Kensington, London		85 m (279 ft)	1872
14	Chichester Cathedral	Chichester, Sussex		84.5 m (277 ft)
15	Lincoln Cathedral	Lincoln, Lincolnshire		83 m (272 ft)	1253
15	St Botolph's Church	Boston, Lincolnshire		83 m (272 ft)	1520
16	Chichester Cathedral	Chichester, West Sussex		82 m (269 ft)	1258

Academic Towers: UK's Tallest University Buildings

These are the tallest buildings found at universities, used for learning and research.

Rank	Building	Location	Image	Height	Year Built	Notes
1	Glasgow University Tower	Glasgow, Scotland		85 m (279 ft)	1887
2	Arts Tower	Sheffield, South Yorkshire		78 m (256 ft)	1966
3	Broadcasting Tower, Leeds	Leeds, West Yorkshire		69.5 m (228 ft)	2009
4	Wills Memorial Building	Bristol		68 m (223 ft)	1925
4	Towers Hall	Loughborough, Leicestershire		68 m (223 ft)	1967
6	Senate House (University of London)	Bloomsbury, London		64 m (210 ft)	1937

Cinema Screens: UK's Tallest Movie Theatres

The tallest cinema building in the UK is Cineworld Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland, standing at 62 m (203 ft).

UK's Tallest Structures

Beyond buildings, the UK has many other tall structures. These can be bridges, towers, or even sculptures!

• Tallest Guyed Mast: The Skelton transmitting station in Skelton, Cumbria, is a very tall mast held up by strong wires. It reaches 365 m (1,198 ft) into the sky.

• Tallest Freestanding Structure: The Emley Moor transmitting station in Emley, West Yorkshire, is a huge concrete tower that stands on its own. It is 330 m (1,080 ft) tall.

• Tallest Chimney: The chimney at Drax Power Station in Drax, North Yorkshire, is 259 m (850 ft) tall.

• Tallest Free-standing Lattice Tower: The Crystal Palace transmitting station is a metal tower that stands 219 m (719 ft) tall.

• Tallest Wind Turbine: The Samsung Heavy Industries 7 MW wind turbine prototype is a giant wind turbine that stands 196 m (643 ft) tall.

• Tallest Electricity Pylon: The pylons of the 400 kV Thames Crossing are 190.5 m (625 ft) tall.

• Tallest Bridge: The Queensferry Crossing between Lothian and Fife has tall towers that reach 207 m (679 ft).

• Tallest Observation Tower: The Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hampshire, is a popular place to get amazing views, standing at 170 m (560 ft).

• Tallest Ferris Wheel: The London Eye in Lambeth, London, is a giant wheel that takes people high above the city. It is 135 m (443 ft) tall.

• Tallest Stadium: Wembley Stadium in Brent, London, where many big sports events happen, is 133 m (436 ft) tall.

• Tallest Lighthouse: The Skerryvore Lighthouse in Skerryvore, Scotland, helps guide ships and is 48 m (157 ft) tall.

• Tallest Church Spire: The spire of Salisbury Cathedral in Salisbury, Wiltshire, is 123 m (404 ft) tall.

• Tallest Clock Tower: The Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower in Birmingham, West Midlands, is 100 m (330 ft) tall.

• Tallest Domed Building: The Millennium Dome in Greenwich, London, has a huge dome that is 95 m (312 ft) tall.

• Tallest Water Tower: The Grimsby Dock Tower in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, is 94 m (308 ft) tall.

• Tallest Telescope: The Lovell Telescope in Goostrey, Cheshire, is a massive dish used to study space, standing 89 m (292 ft) tall.

• Tallest Air Traffic Control Tower: The control tower at Heathrow Airport in Hillingdon, London, is 87 m (285 ft) tall.

• Tallest Monument: The Wallace Monument in Stirling, Scotland, honors a Scottish hero and is 67 m (220 ft) tall.

• Tallest Rollercoaster: Hyperia at Thorpe Park in Chertsey, Surrey, is a thrilling ride that reaches 72 m (236 ft).

• Tallest Sculpture: The ArcelorMittal Orbit in Stratford, London, is a unique sculpture that is 115 m (377 ft) tall.

• Tallest Pagoda: The Pagoda at Kew Gardens in Richmond upon Thames, London, is 50 m (160 ft) tall.

• Tallest Mosque: The Birmingham Central Mosque in Birmingham has a minaret that is 45.7 m (150 ft) tall.

• Tallest Windmill: The Moulton Windmill in Moulton, Lincolnshire, is 30 m (98 ft) tall.

• Tallest Statue: The Angel of the North in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, is a famous statue that is 20 m (66 ft) tall.
• The Dream sculpture in St Helens, Merseyside, is also 20 m (66 ft) tall.