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List of tallest buildings in the United Kingdom facts for kids

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The Shard from the Sky Garden 2015
The Shard is the tallest building in the UK.

The United Kingdom is home to many impressive tall buildings, especially in recent years. As of early 2024, there are 155 buildings that people can live or work in that are at least 100 meters (about 328 feet) tall. Most of these are in London, with 118 buildings. Other cities like Greater Manchester (20), Birmingham (6), and Leeds (3) also have several tall structures. Swansea has the only one outside of England.

The very tallest building in the UK is The Shard in London. It stands at a huge 310 meters (1,016 feet) tall! It was finished in 2012 and opened to the public in 2013. Before 2020, it was also the tallest building in the European Union.

Historically, the UK wasn't known for its many skyscrapers. Taller structures used to be mostly cathedrals, church spires, or industrial chimneys. In London, there were even rules to protect views of famous buildings like St Paul's Cathedral. However, since the early 2000s, many new tall buildings have been built, especially in London.

The tallest office buildings are mainly in London's financial areas, like the City of London and Canary Wharf. Some of these include 22 Bishopsgate (278m) and One Canada Square (235m). For homes, the tallest residential buildings are also in London, like Landmark Pinnacle (233m), and one in Manchester, Deansgate Square South Tower (201m).

Only London, Manchester, and Salford have skyscrapers taller than 150 meters (about 492 feet). Birmingham is expected to join this group soon with new buildings like Octagon and One Eastside under construction. Many other UK cities are also planning or building tall structures.

As of May 2023, there are 45 buildings over 100 meters tall being built across the UK. London has 25 of these, Greater Manchester has 12, and Birmingham has 7.

Tallest Existing Buildings in the UK

This section lists the tallest buildings that are already finished in the UK. We measure their architectural height, which means we don't count things like antennas added after the building is done.

Rank Name City Height (m) Floors Year Completed
1 The Shard London 310 95 2012
2 22 Bishopsgate London 278 62 2019
3 One Canada Square London 235 50 1990
4 The Landmark Pinnacle London 233 75 2020
5 110 Bishopsgate London 230 47 2010
6 The Leadenhall Building London 225 48 2013
7 Newfoundland London 218 59 2020
8 Hampton Tower London 215 68 2021
9 One Park Drive London 205 57 2021
10 8 Bishopsgate London 204 51 2022
11 Deansgate Square South Tower Manchester 201 64 2018

Tallest Buildings Under Construction

This list shows buildings currently being built in the UK that will be at least 100 meters tall.

Rank Name City Height (m) Floors Estimated Completion
1 Aspen at Consort Place London 216 64 2023
2 South Quay Plaza 4 Residential London 192 57 2023
3 40 Charter Street London 187 53 2024
4 Vista River Garden Tower 1 Manchester 183 60 2026
5 Vista River Garden Tower 2 Manchester 169 55 2026
6 Two Station Hill Reading 163
2026
7 50 Charter Street, Tower 2 London 161 49 2024
8 Halcyon London London 158 49 2025
8 One Leadenhall London 158 36 2025
9 Octagon Birmingham 155 49 2025
10 One Eastside Birmingham 155 51 2025

Tallest Approved Buildings

This list includes buildings that have been approved for construction and will be at least 100 meters tall.

Rank Name City Height (m) Floors Year Approved
1 1 Undershaft London 290 73 2016
2 55 Bishopsgate London 269 63 2022
3 100 Leadenhall Street London 247 56 2018
4 Spire London London 235 67 2016
5 One Lansdowne, East Tower London 228 68 2017
6 Ensign House London 225 56 2022
7 4 Portal Way South Tower London 203 55 2020
8 Vauxhall Cross South Tower London 186 54 2020
9 18 Blackfriars Road Residential Tower London 179 53 2017
10 One Heritage Salford 173 55 2020

Tallest Proposed Buildings

This list shows some buildings that are planned but not yet approved for construction. If built, they would be at least 100 meters tall.

Rank Name City Height (m) Floors Planning status
1 Viadux 2 Manchester 241 76 PA submitted April 2024
2 Regent Park Tower 1 Salford 232 70–75 Awaiting PA
3 Plot D Manchester 213 71 PA submitted July 2023
4 One Park Place London 190 60 Revised PA submitted 2022
5 SBQ 2 Birmingham 180 56 Hybrid PA submitted 2022
6 Boulton Tower Birmingham 172 53 PA submitted 2021
6 Park Place East Tower Manchester 172 56 PA submitted 2021
6 Park Place West Tower Manchester 172 56 PA submitted 2021
9 Act One. Chung Ying Plaza Birmingham 170 52 PA submitted 2022
9 One East Point London 170 52 PA submitted 2022

Timeline of Tallest Buildings

This section shows which building was the tallest in the UK throughout history.

Name City Height (m) Years as tallest
Victoria Tower London 98.5 1860–1961 (102 years)
Shell Centre London 107 1961–1962 (1 year)
CIS Tower Manchester 118 1962–1963 (1 year)
Millbank Tower London 118 1962–1964 (2 years)
BT Tower London 177 1964–1977 (13 years)
Tower 42 London 183 1977–1990 (13 years)
One Canada Square London 235 1990–2012 (22 years)
The Shard London 310 2012–

Tallest Buildings by City

Here are some of the tallest buildings in different cities across the UK.

List of tallest buildings and structures in Brighton and Hove
(Three tallest structures: British Airways i360 162m, Sussex Heights 102m, Chartwell Court 66m)
List of tallest buildings and structures in Bristol
(Three tallest buildings: Castle Park View, 98m, St Mary Redcliffe 80m, Castlemead 80m)
List of tallest buildings and structures in Cardiff
(Three tallest buildings: Bridge Street Exchange 85m, Capital Tower 80m, Stadium House 78m)
List of tallest buildings and structures in Coventry
(Three tallest buildings: Coventry Cathedral 91m, CODE Coventry Student Accommodation 76m, Mercia House 68m)
List of tallest buildings and structures in Edinburgh
(Three tallest buildings: Martello Court 64m, Citadel Court 59m, Persevere Court 59m)
List of tallest buildings and structures in Glasgow
(Three tallest structures: Glasgow Tower 127m, Glasgow University Tower 85m, 15 Croftbank Street 74m)
List of tallest buildings and structures in Leicester
(Three tallest buildings: Cardinal Telephone Exchange 84m, St George's Tower 82m, the Summit 67m plus National Space Centre ≈ 40m)
List of tallest buildings and structures in Liverpool
(Three tallest buildings: West Tower 140m, Radio City Tower 125m, The Lexington 113m)
List of tallest buildings and structures in London
(Three tallest buildings: The Shard 310m, 22 Bishopsgate 278m, One Canada Square 235m)
List of tallest buildings and structures in Manchester
(Three tallest buildings: Deansgate Square South Tower 201m, Beetham Tower 169m, Deansgate Square East Tower 158m)
List of tallest buildings and structures in Newcastle upon Tyne
(Three tallest buildings: Hadrian's Tower 83m, Vale House 80m, Shieldfield House 77m)
List of tallest buildings and structures in Nottingham
(Three tallest structures: Eastcroft Incinerator 91m, Victoria Centre Flats A 75m, Pine View 62m)
List of tallest buildings and structures in Portsmouth
(Three tallest buildings: Spinnaker Tower 170m, East Side Plaza 101m, UNITE Portsmouth 73m)
List of tallest buildings and structures in Salford
(Three tallest buildings: Cortland at Colliers Yard 153m, Anaconda Cut 131m, Affinity Living Riverside 110m)
List of tallest buildings and structures in Sheffield
(Three tallest buildings: St Paul's Tower 101m, Arts Tower 78m, Royal Hallamshire Hospital 76m)
List of tallest buildings and structures in Southampton
(Three tallest buildings: Moresby Tower 80m, Millbrook Tower 73m, Canberra Towers 70m)
Tallest buildings and structures in Swansea
(Three tallest buildings: The Tower, Meridian Quay 107m, BT Tower (Swansea) 60m, Fusion Students Swansea 60m)
Tallest buildings and structures in Woking
(Three tallest buildings: Victoria Square Tower 1 117m, Victoria Square Tower 2 105m, Victoria Square Hilton Hotel 94m)

Cities with Many Tall Buildings

This table shows how many buildings over 100 meters tall each city has.

County City/Borough Total Buildings ≥100m
England Greater London City of London 26
England Greater London Tower Hamlets 33
England Greater London Wandsworth 7
England Greater London Lambeth 6
England Greater London Southwark 9
England Greater London Other London Boroughs 36
England Greater Manchester Manchester 15
England Greater Manchester Salford 5
England West Midlands Birmingham 6
England West Yorkshire Leeds 3
England Merseyside Liverpool 2
England Surrey Woking 2
England East Sussex Brighton 1
England Hampshire Portsmouth 1
England South Yorkshire Sheffield 1
Wales City and County of Swansea Swansea 1

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