BT Tower, London

[wjfox]

BT Tower
Central London

Height: 191m
Floors: 22
Built: 1961-1964
Architect: Eric Bedford

Links:
Guardian article - Why we love the BT Tower
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BT_Tower
http://www.urban75.org/london/telecom.html
Skyscrapers.com listing


Notes:
The British Telecom Tower in London's West End was the first purpose-built tower to transmit high frequency radio waves, and it serves as a functional telecommunications centre designed to relay broadcast, Internet and telephone information around the world.

The 191m tower was commissioned by the General Post Office (GPO). It was designed by the architects of the Ministry of Public Building and Works: the chief architects were Eric Bedford and G. R. Yeats. Typically for its time, the building is concrete clad in glass. The narrow cylinder shape was chosen because of the requirements of the communications aerials: the building will shift no more than 25 cm in wind speeds of up to 150 km/h. Initially the first sixteen floors were for technical equipment and power, above that was a 35 metre section for the microwave aerials, and above that were six floors of suites, kitchens, technical equipment and finally a gridwork aerial. To prevent heat build-up the glass cladding was of a special tint. The construction cost was £2.5 million.

Construction began in June 1961. The tower was topped out on July 15, 1964 and it was operational from October 8, 1965. The building contractors were Peter Lind & Company.

The tower was officially opened to the public on May 16, 1966 by Tony Benn and Billy Butlin. As well as the communications gear and office space there were viewing galleries, a souvenir shop, and a slowly rotating restaurant, the "Top of the Tower", on the 34th floor, operated by Butlins. It made one revolution every 22 minutes.

A suspected IRA bomb exploded in the roof of the men's toilets at the Top of the Tower on October 31, 1971 and it was subsequently closed to the public for security reasons. The restaurant closed in 1980 when Butlins' lease expired and non-BT-approved access to the building ceased. In 1981 it was superseded as the tallest building in Britain by the NatWest Tower.

When the GPO telecommunications services were split off in 1981 (in advance of the 1984 privatisation) the tower was renamed the London Telecom Tower. After the rebranding of the company in 1992 it became the BT Tower. The building is still not open to the public. The restaurant has been re-opened, and is now used by BT for corporate sponsorship events and promotions: since the re-discovery of spare parts for the mechanism, they even rotate it occasionally.

In 2004 the DJ Brian Transeau (who goes by the stage name BT) did a concert at the site that was carried on BBC Radio 1, leading to utter confusion for worldwide online listeners and others who are less than familiar with the structure.

The tower is still in use, and is the site of a major UK communications hub. Fiber optic links have replaced microwave links for most mainstream purposes, but the tower is still used for microwave links. The base of the tower contains the TV Network Switching Centre which carries broadcasting traffic and relays signals used by the BBC and other television broadcasters.

The BT Tower was given grade II listed building status in 2003.

[NothingBetterToDo]

i like the BT tower.....i think it looks quite modern for a building thats 40 years old.

Its also VERY iconic.

I loved when they lit it up with lazers a few years ago....it was beautiful and quite awe inspiring....i could see it from my house.

[Madman]

The grooviest icon on london's skyline, i dunno why but i always think of the swinging sixteis when i see it with maybe Dr Evil concocting an evil scheme of world domination at the top (well BT execs will have to do)!

8/10

[Peyre]

yep, I love it, adds height to the skyline, and still looks good today

8/10

[london-b]

I love it, looks bigger in real life though. I would like to see it renevated to look new and shiney

[london-b]

8/10

[london-b]

A couple more for you all

[Waterfront]

A London icon, as much a part of the skyline as anything. 8/10

[Accura4Matalan]

8/10

[El_Greco]

Originally Posted by london-b

A couple more for you all

Oh..very nice..

[El_Greco]

BTW - 8/10

[Abbil]

I dont like very much this tower...
But...6/10

[BRISBANE]

lndons getting a bt tower as well...but of course sydneys is taller

[oscar9]

Originally Posted by BRISBANE

lndons getting a bt tower as well...but of course sydneys is taller

Londons getting a BT tower???? Its already been there for 3 decades fool.

[Madman]

hehe i think he needs to read things thoroughly lol!

Built: 1961-1964 !!!

[JDRS]

8/10 very iconic, can't really explain why i like it.

[Medo]

I'm not a fan 7/10

[GazKinz]

For me this has to be 10/10 I love this building, it's so iconic, and doesn't look that old. Its probably the building I've photographed the most, here's some of them

From Weymouth Street



From Newman Street



From Bedford Square



From Tottenham Court Road



From the roof of No. 6 Fitzroy Square



Looking up



A couple of distance shots

From Regents Park



From the top of Kings College Library on Chancery Lane



From the top of Vitro



And a couple of 'arty' ones

[Bim]

By the way, those buildings in the foreground are stunning!

[tommygunn]

On my first trip to London that was the first thing on the skyline i saw quite like it 8.