Completed in 2014, the Rafael Vinoly-designed skyscraper at 20 Fenchurch Street is commonly known as “Walkie-Talkie”, thanks to it unusual shape. It has been the most controversial of London’s modern towers, partly because its shape and position make it particularly obtrusive on the London skyline.

    However, it is one of the few skyscrapers with free public access, provided that you book ahead for the Sky Garden, a large three level viewing deck at the top of the building. Tickets are issued three weeks ahead and go quickly for popular times. There are also several bars and restaurants. The Sky Garden is the perfect place from which to view London’s other mega-structures: to the south, the Shard; and the north, Tower 42, the distinctive “Gherkin”, and the Leadenhall Building, aka the “Cheesegrater”.

   The Shard is one of the tallest buildings in Western  Europe. At 310m high, it dominates the London Skyline, its appearance changing with the weather due to the crystalline façade that reflets the sky. The building’s 95 floors are home to offices, apartments, the five-star Shangri-La hotel, half a dozen bars and restaurants and Britain’s highest observation gallery.