Arguably one of the great things about the capital is the ever-changing and slightly irreverent London skyline. Along with The Shard, The Cheesegrater and The Scalpel, The Gherkin is probably the most readily recognisable of London’s recent landmark buildings.
30 St Mary Axe Street – to give its proper name, although everyone calls it The Gherkin – stands on the site of the former Baltic Exchange and the Chamber of Shipping, which were blown up by the IRA in 1992 in the Baltic Exchange Bombing that killed three people. When the 180 metre-high Norman Foster designed building was completed in 2003 it was one of the tallest buildings in London, although now it lags behind in 18th place.
Dining at the Gherkin
If you wish to visit the Gherkin, then you should dine at the Searcys at The Gherkin Restaurant on the 39th floor, or have a cocktail in the bar in the 40th floor for some of the most magnificent views across the City of London.
An interesting feature of The Gherkin is that due to its shape the main lift only goes to the 34th floor with a push up lift taking you to the 39th floor, from where a marble staircase leads you to the bar in the dome on the roof where traditional lift machinery would normally be located.
How to Get to the Gherkin
The Gherkin is close to many tube stations including Liverpool Street (Central, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines), Aldgate East (District Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines) and and Aldgate (Circle line), as well as London Fenchurch Station and Liverpool Street (main line).
Nearby Attractions
In the heart of the City of London, you could combine a visit here with St Paul’s Cathedral, thus combining a taste of London old and London new.
