Every seen the view from the BT Tower? For two days only, it will be open to visits from the public!
Before the Shard, before the Gherkin, before Centre Point, was the BT Tower: the tallest building to be built in central London for 250 years. Believe it or not, when it was built in 1962, only St. Paul’s Cathedral stood taller. [Photo: Robert Pittman]
Once the home of a nifty rotating restaurant, this utilitarian, lightsaber-lookin’ edifice has been closed to the public since the 1980s, and now mostly interacts through Londoners by broadcasting chipper little messages from its two-storey display screen:
Fortunately, the landlords keep the uppermost floors in good nick for the occasional public event… and next weekend (July 14–15), the owners are inviting a few thousand Londoners to check out this lesser-seen view for themselves!
Aside from the uninterrupted 360° views of the surrounding area, you’ll also find some bonus summer-themed pop-uppery with Mr Whippy ice creams, a ‘beer garden’, a picnic zone and other ‘immersive’ shenanigans 500ft above Bloomsbury.
Meanwhile, one lucky visitor will be offered the chance to spend the night ‘glamping’ at the tower, although hopefully not, as pictured below, toasting marshmallows over a real campfire.
It’s free to visit but due to the popularity of the event, tickets are only available by ballot: and applications close tonight (Sunday, July 8) at midnight, so apply here!
Alternatively, find more places with beautiful views of London.