List of tallest buildings and structures in London
, the capital and largest city of the United Kingdom, has 133 completed buildings that are at least 100 metres tall as of 2026, 42 of which have a height greater than 150 metres. London has one of the largest skylines in Europe; it has the most skyscrapers taller than 150 m in the United Kingdom and in Western Europe, and the third most of any city in Europe overall, after Moscow and Istanbul. London's skyline has undergone immense transformation in the early 21st century. Since 2013, the tallest building in London and the United Kingdom has been The Shard, London's only supertall skyscraper. The pyramid-shaped building in Southwark rises to a height of 306 m. London has two primary skyscraper clusters: the City of London in central London, and Canary Wharf with the Isle of Dogs in East London, alongside numerous smaller groupings throughout Greater London.
File:The Shard from 20 Fenchurch Street - 2025-01-03.jpg|thumb|300x300px|The Shard, with the skylines of Elephant and Castle and Vauxhall/Nine Elms in 2025
For two centuries since 1710, St Paul's Cathedral was the tallest structure in London. While early skyscrapers sprouted in the late 19th and early 20th century in the United States, London—then the world's largest city—avoided this trend. In 1894, after work on the 12-storey Queen Anne’s Mansions, the London Building Act imposed a height limit of 30 m or less across the city. This restriction was lifted in the 1950s, permitting the construction of high-rises taller than St. Paul's. The destruction during The Blitz allowed more room for modern development. Early skyscrapers were built on the west side of central London, most notably the BT Tower in Fitzrovia in 1965. A concentration of tall buildings arose in the City of London, including office towers such as St Helen's and Tower 42, and Barbican Estate, a three-towered residential complex that is a prominent example of brutalism. The London Docklands in the Isle of Dogs, which had become disused in the 1960s, underwent a significant redevelopment plan in the 1980s, resulting in the financial district of Canary Wharf. Among the first skyscrapers built there was One Canada Square in 1991. At 236 m, it surpassed Tower 42 to be London's tallest building; it is currently the city's third-tallest building and still the tallest in Canary Wharf.
File:Greenwich and Canary Wharf - 2022-04-24.jpg|thumb|300x300px|Canary Wharf from Greenwich Park in 2022
Since the 2000s, London has been experiencing a substantial skyscraper boom, which has accelerated in the late 2010s. This initially took place mostly in the City of London and Canary Wharf. The Gherkin, completed in 2004 in the City, is a recognised example of contemporary architecture. Further office skyscrapers in the City of London, such as 20 Fenchurch Street and 122 Leadenhall Street, have been given nicknames due to their distinctive shapes. The City of London's tallest building, 22 Bishopsgate, initially broke ground under the name The Pinnacle in 2008, but construction was halted in 2012. After a redesign, which removed the proposed curved-glass roof, it was completed in 2020. Numerous skyscrapers are planned for the City, including 1 Undershaft, which would be the tallest in the district, owing to high demand for grade-A office space. Canary Wharf has seen a major influx in residential skyscrapers since the 2010s, with the Wood Wharf neighbourhood expanding the skyscraper cluster eastwards.
High-rises have increasingly proliferated across London since the 2010s, particularly in the areas of Vauxhall/Nine Elms, Elephant and Castle, and Stratford. The tallest buildings in each area have been built since 2018. This has been associated with residential regeneration efforts; in Stratford, development was spurred by the 2012 Summer Olympics. The New London Vernacular has influenced the design of these new towers. In the late 2010s and 2020s, this has extended to more areas across inner and outer London, most notably in Lewisham, Croydon, North Acton, and Wembley Park. One Blackfriars, completed in 2019 in the South Bank, will be accompanied by skyscrapers in the Bankside Yards project. Considerable residential high-rise development has also occurred in Barking, Blackwall, Canada Water, Canning Town, Greenwich Peninsula, Paddington, Poplar, Shoreditch, Silvertown, Southwark, Wandsworth, White City, and along City Road.
History
Medieval and early modern period
The history of tall structures in London began with the completion of the White Tower, a part of the Tower of London, in 1098. The first structure to surpass a height of was the Old St Paul's Cathedral. Completed in 1310, it stood at a height of. St Paul's was the world's tallest structure until 1311, when its height was surpassed by Lincoln Cathedral in Lincoln. It regained the title when the spire of Lincoln Cathedral fell in 1549.Although the spire of the Old St Paul's was destroyed by lightning in 1561, it still stood as the tallest structure in London, while the world's tallest structure became Strasbourg Cathedral in Strasbourg, France. St Paul's was severely damaged by the Great Fire of London in 1666. The title of the tallest structure in London passed to Southwark Cathedral, which stands at a height of and no structure in London again rose above 100 metres until 1710, when the current St Paul's Cathedral was completed at, becoming London's tallest building.
Late 1800s
Few skyscrapers were built in London before the late 20th century, owing to restrictions on building heights originally imposed by the London Building Act 1894, which followed the construction of the 14-storey Queen Anne's Mansions. Though restrictions have long since been eased, harsh regulations remain to preserve protected views, especially those of St Paul's, the Tower of London and Palace of Westminster, as well as to comply with the requirements of the Civil Aviation Authority.1960s and 1970s
The lifting of height restrictions caused a boom in the construction of tall buildings during the 1960s. St Paul's Cathedral remained as London's tallest building until it was overtaken in 1963 by the Millbank Tower at, which in turn was overtaken by the BT Tower which topped out just one year later in 1964 at and officially opened in 1965. One of London's first notable tall buildings was the Centre Point, completed in 1966.Others completed in the 1960s include: the Empress State Building at in 1961, the Shell Centre at in 1961, the London Hilton at in 1963, Portland House at in 1963, and Euston Tower at in 1970, all built on the west side of Central London. In 1969, St. Helen's at was completed in the City of London, along with Britannic House in 1967 at 122 metres, but the latter was refurbished in 2000, increased to 127 m in height and renamed Citypoint. Cromwell Tower, completed in 1973, Lauderdale Tower, completed in 1974 and Shakespeare Tower, completed in 1976, all at, were built as part of the Barbican Estate in the northern part of the City of London.
1980s, 1990s and 2000s
The NatWest Tower, later renamed Tower 42, was completed in 1980, which at and 42 storeys, was considered the first "skyscraper" in the City of London. Its height was controversial, being contrary to the previous height restrictions, it was the tallest building in the United Kingdom at the time and also the tallest cantilever building in the world. Following an over ten-year gap, One Canada Square was completed in 1991 at and formed the centrepiece of the Canary Wharf development, which itself is part of the Isle of Dogs and can be considered the east-side of Central London. At 50 storeys, it became the tallest building in the United Kingdom.With the encouragement of Ken Livingstone who was Mayor of London from 2000 to 2008, a renewed trend for building tall was established in the 2000s.
Following another over 10-year gap, 8 Canada Square and 25 Canada Square, both standing at about, were completed at Canary Wharf in 2002. Several others of a smaller height followed at Canary Wharf including: Heron Quays, 40 Bank Street in 2003 at, 10 Upper Bank Street in 2003 at, and 25 Bank Street in 2004 at. In the City of London, The Gherkin was completed in 2003 at, Heron Tower in 2007 at, and the Broadgate Tower in 2008 at. Notably, some of the awards given to 30 St Mary Axe include the Emporis Skyscraper Award in 2003 and the RIBA Stirling Prize for Architecture in 2004.
2010s to present
, who was Mayor of London from 2008 to 2016, approved the construction of more skyscrapers in London.At the time of its completion in 2010, Strata SE1 was the tallest residential building in London. The Shard topped out in 2012 at London Bridge and at remains London's tallest building. In 2014, the tall 122 Leadenhall Street, nicknamed "the Cheesegrater", was completed in the City of London. In September 2016, a refit was completed of the 111 m King's Reach Tower, originally built in the 1970s, which included an 11-storey height increase to bring it up to tall and it was renamed the South Bank Tower.
One Blackfriars, also located on the South Bank, topped out in 2017 at. The Scalpel, at was completed in the City of London in 2018 and it was designed to protect views of St Paul's Cathedral. Newfoundland Quay, at and Landmark Pinnacle at topped out in Canary Wharf in 2018 and 2019 respectively. One Park Drive at and South Quay Plaza at both also topped out at Canary Wharf in 2019. 22 Bishopsgate, at topped out in the City of London in 2019, after being approved by the current mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, in 2016.
1 Undershaft, at, also approved by Sadiq Khan in 2016, is planned to form the centrepiece of the City of London's skyscraper cluster. It is the tallest skyscraper currently proposed for London and will only be exceeded in height by The Shard. It will be built on the site of the aforementioned 1969 St Helen's building which is currently being demolished. 100 Leadenhall, at, and already nicknamed the "Cheesegrater 2", is also planned for the City of London. Spire London, at is planned for Canary Wharf. However, construction was halted after concerns that the building only had one escape stairwell for residents on the upper floors. The tallest of the two Riverside South towers that have been planned for construction at Canary Wharf since 2008 would have exceeded that cluster's tallest building, One Canada Square, by one metre in height, but construction has been stalled since 2011. The tall Aspen at Consort Place, also at Canary Wharf, opened in 2025.
There is another major skyscraper cluster emerging in the Vauxhall and Nine Elms districts of London. The first skyscraper to appear here was St George Wharf Tower at and which was completed in 2014. The tallest tower in the cluster is the One Nine Elms City Tower completed in 2022. Other notable skyscrapers in the district include One Thames City No. 8 at, and the DAMAC Tower at.
In 2019, Sadiq Khan blocked the construction of the Tulip that would have been built in the City of London. After an appeal was launched by the developers against Khan's decision, UK housing secretary Michael Gove rejected the proposal in November 2021.