Another day, another ego-massage for our lovely capital city. Today’s bragging rights come in the form of a study that has named two London landmarks among the world’s top ten buildings that everybody should know about. We’ll take it.
The world’s most impressive infrastructures were put under the microscope to determine the most popular buildings based on various factors. Focusing specifically on the past 50 years, the 24 of the most significant buildings in the world were analysed to reveal which of them should immediately be added to everybody’s bucket list.
The study delved into Instagram data and monthly Google search volume and also considered the societal impact of each building, ranking them based on factors including their cultural, economic, social and technological achievements. Each iconic building was given a score out of 10 and despite two Dubai spots taking the top spots (the Burj Khalifa and DXB Airport), London didn’t do too badly either…
Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station has been the talk of the town city since receiving its gargantuan glow up back in 2022. After supplying London’s electricity for almost 50 years, the power station was left derelict for three decades before its revamp, but has since become a state-of-the-art destination for Londoners and tourists alike.
The legendary landmark came in at seventh place in the recent study, with a score of 2.71 out of 10 in the ranking (undermarked, in my opinion). Battersea Power Station has 189,680 tags on Instagram and receives a rather hefty 673,000 Google search each month.
The Shard
It wouldn’t be right to discuss London landmarks without giving an honourable mention to the newest and largest landmark on London’s block, The Shard. The tallest building in the UK has been towering over the capital since 2009 and has hugely contributed to the urban regeneration of the London Bridge area. At a whopping 1016 feet tall, the sky-high structure is the ultimate multi-use building with offices, restaurants, luxury flats, a boujie hotel, and – of course – some jaw-dropping views across the city inside.
The Shard came in at ninth position with an overall score of 2.36 out of 10. In its first year alone, it welcomed one million tourists and accumulated an impressive 900,000 mentions on Instagram. It now receives on average 450,000 monthly Google searches and 883,622 hashtags. Not bad, hey?
You can read the full study here.