25 Old Broad Street
Tower 42 is the third-tallest skyscraper in the City of London and the eighth tallest in Greater London.[1] Its original name was the National Westminster Tower, having been built to house the National Westminster Bank's international division. Seen from above, the shape of the tower resembles that of the NatWest logo (three chevrons in a hexagonal arrangement).[2]
| Tower 42 | |
|---|---|
 Tower 42 is the third-tallest building in the City of London | |
| Former names | National Westminster Tower; International Financial Centre |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial |
| Location | 25 Old Broad Street, London |
| Construction started | 1971 |
| Completed | 1980 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 183 metres (600 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 47 |
| Elevators | 21 |
| Design and construction | |
| Main contractor | John Mowlem & Co Ltd |
| Architect | R Siefert & Partners |
| Structural engineer | Pell Frischmann |
The tower, designed by Richard Seifert and engineered by Pell Frischmann, is located at 25 Old Broad Street. It was built by John Mowlem & Co between 1971 and 1980, first occupied in 1980, and formally opened on 11 June 1981 by Queen Elizabeth II.[3]
The construction cost was £72 million (approximately £222 million today).[4] It is 183 metres (600 ft) high, which made it the tallest building in the United Kingdom until the topping out of One Canada Square at Canary Wharf in 1990. It held the status of tallest building in the City of London for 30 years, until it was surpassed by the Heron Tower in December 2009.
25 Old Broad Street Media
Simplified plan and dimetric projection showing the shape of the top of Tower 42
NatWest Tower during construction, viewed from Bank junction, c. 1974
Pre-construction model of the NatWest Tower, including concepts that were eventually abandoned, on display at the London Science Museum
National Westminster Tower entrance forecourt in 1981
The NatWest Tower's viewing gallery at Level 42, as seen in 1981. This area is now in use as the Vertigo 42 champagne bar
East-facing view from Vertigo 42
Night view showing lighting display
A close view of the lighting system
Tower 42 viewed from directly below
References
- ↑ "existing | Buildings". Emporis. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
- ↑ Hibbert, Christopher; Weinreb, Ben; Keay, John; Keay, Julia (2011). The London Encyclopaedia (3rd ed.). Pan Macmillan. p. 574. ISBN 9780230738782. Retrieved 20 Aug 2014.
- ↑ "Glasgow Herald, June 12, 1981, p1". Retrieved 2012-08-20.
- ↑ UK CPI inflation numbers based on data available from Measuring Worth: UK CPI.