Towers, wharves and power stations: London’s new architecture, the back story

About Towers, wharves and power stations: London’s new architecture, the back story

By the ULTIMATE London Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

For most of its history London was a low city of church spires and St Paul’s dome. Since the 1980s, the City’s towers, Canary Wharf and a string of riverside regenerations have given it one of the most dramatic skylines in Europe.

Protected views

London’s planning rules protect a set of views of St Paul’s Cathedral and the Palace of Westminster, so tall buildings are grouped in clusters. That is why the Leadenhall Building slopes back on one side, to keep St Paul’s visible from Fleet Street.

The City cluster

In the City of London, the Lloyd’s building of 1986, the Gherkin of 2003, the Cheesegrater and the Walkie-Talkie of 2014, and 22 Bishopsgate of 2020 form a tight cluster east of Bank. Two of them have public viewing spaces: the Sky Garden at 20 Fenchurch Street and Horizon 22 on Level 58 of 22 Bishopsgate, both booked in advance.

London’s towers are shaped by the views they must not block: above all, the views of St Paul’s.

Canary Wharf

On the Isle of Dogs, the former West India Docks became a second financial district from the late 1980s, centred on One Canada Square of 1991. Wood Wharf, to the east, is adding a waterside neighbourhood of homes and offices, with residential towers such as One Park Drive by Herzog & de Meuron.

The riverside

Along the Thames, The Shard at London Bridge, completed in 2012, is the tallest building in the UK. Upriver, Battersea Power Station reopened in 2022 after a long restoration, the centrepiece of the Nine Elms regeneration, where the US Embassy opened in 2018.

Award-winning homes

Some of the most admired new buildings are homes rather than towers. The 2026 RIBA Stirling Prize went to Lion Green Road in Coulsdon, Croydon, a scheme of 157 private and affordable homes by Mary Duggan Architects with RUFF Architects.

Our advice: see the new London from the river. Take an Uber Boat from Battersea Power Station to Canary Wharf, then book a slot at Horizon 22 or the Sky Garden to look back over the route.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Towers, wharves and power stations: London’s new architecture, the back story before you go.