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Londoners have a habit of nicknaming new buildings based upon their shape. In 2003, the then Prince Charles said "it looks as though London seems to be turning into an absurdist picnic table—we already have a giant gherkin, now it looks as if we are going to have an enormous salt cellar."

Nicknames for London buildings

The Gherkin

Officially 30 St Mary Axe and previously known as the Swiss Re Building, this commercial skyscraper is in London's primary financial district, the City of London. The Gherkin nickname was applied to the current building at least as early as 1999, referring to the plan's layout and appearance.

The Walkie-Talkie

20 Fenchurch Street is a commercial skyscraper. It has been nicknamed The Walkie-Talkie because of its distinctive shape, said to resemble a walkie-talkie handset.

The Scalpel

Located at 52 Lime Street, The Scalpel was originally a nickname but subsequently designated as its official name. It was coined by the Financial Times due to the building's distinctive angular design. It has also been noted for its similarity to a "play" media button due to how it looks from south of the River Thames.

The Shard

Referred to as both The Shard and the Shard London Bridge and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a tapered 72-storey mixed-use development, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, in Southwark, London, which forms part of The Shard Quarter development. The design provoked criticism from English Heritage, who claimed the building would be "a shard of glass through the heart of historic London", giving the building its name.

Pringle

Built for the 2012 London Olympics, the Olympic Velodrome's unique roof has earned it the nickname of Pringle after the popular crisp brand.

The Cheesegrater

122 Leadenhall Street, also known as the Leadenhall Building, is a 225-metre-tall (738 ft) skyscraper in central London. It opened in July 2014 and was designed by the Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners; it is known informally as The Cheesegrater because of its distinctive wedge shape, similar to that of the kitchen utensil of the same name.

The Jenga

8 Bishopsgate is a 51-storey, 204-metre (669 ft) tall commercial skyscraper located in the City of London . When it opened in 2023, it was the 11th-tallest building in London. It was nicknamed The Jenga due to the three block-like sections which appear to be balanced on top of each other, similar to the game of Jenga.

The Can of Ham

70 St Mary Axe is informally known as the Can of Ham or Can of Spam due to its shape.

The Helter Skelter

Located at 22 Bishopsgate the twisting design of its roof and the curling patterns in the façade were based on various organic forms in nature such as armadillos, mushrooms and seashells, and led to the building being nicknamed "The Helter Skelter".

The Boomerang or the Vase

One Blackfriars is a mixed-use development at No. 1 Blackfriars Road in Bankside, London. It is informally known as The Boomerang or The Vase due to its shape. According to the architect Ian Simpson, the unusual shape of the building was inspired by Timo Sarpaneva's classic Lansetti glass vase from 1952.

Glass Testicle, the Glass Onion, or Armadillo

The old City Hall is a building in Southwark, London, which previously served as the headquarters of the Greater London Authority (GLA). Former mayor Ken Livingstone called it the "glass testicle" and another former mayor Boris Johnston called it the "glass gonad".

It is more commonly known as the Glass Onion or Armadillo due to its shape.

Proposed buildings that earned nicknames

Some buildings were nicknamed while they were still architectural concepts, and were never actually built.

Tulip Tower

Plans for the 1,000 feet (300 m) tall tower shaped like a Tulip were rejected in 2021, but not before the building got its nickname as the "Erotic Gherkin".

See also

• City of London landmarks
• List of tallest buildings and structures in London

References

1. Moldovan, I; Nicolata-Maria, I; Valentin Moldovan, Silvian (2014). Proceedings of 5th International Conference Civil Engineering-Science and Practice. pp. 1461–1468.
2. Igal, Charney. "The politics of design: architecture, tall buildings and the skyline of central London". Area. 39 (2): 195–205.
3. "A speech by HRH The Prince of Wales at the Traditional Urbanism in Contemporary Practice Conference at The Prince's Foundation, London". Royal. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
4. "30 St Mary Axe". Emporis. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
5. ^ Graham, Stephen (2016). "Vanity and violence: On the politics of skyscrapers". City. 20 (5): 755–771.
6. "The Gherkin". Britannica. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
7. ^ Houston, Katherine. "Gherkin most recognised building nickname of the century". Design Cultural. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
8. "No gherkins please, we're British". The Guardian. London. 6 August 1999. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
9. ^ Reinke, Stephan (2017). "The Promise of Public Realm: Urban Spaces in the Skyscraper City" (PDF). Géocarrefour. 91 (2): 247. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
10. Heathcote, Edwin (4 November 2011). "Points on views". Financial Times. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
11. Financial Times, September 4th 2012
12. The Londonist, 21 August 2018
13. "London Bridge Tower, London". Designbuild-network.com. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
14. Weaver, Matt (15 April 2003). "Battle begins for London Bridge Tower". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
15. "History of The Shard, London Bridge". Shardldn.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
16. Bishop, Greg (2012-08-01). "Olympic Velodrome is known as 'The Pringle'". New York Times. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
17. "ICONIC OLYMPIC VENUE RENAMED TO 'THE PRINGLES CHIP'" (PDF). Kelloggs. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
18. "New Velodrome Is a Chip Off the Old Cycling Track". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
19. Trickett, Terry. Proceedings of Bridges 2018: Mathematics, Art, Music, Architecture, Education, Culture. Phoenix, Arizona: Tessellations Publishing. ISBN 978-1-938664-27-4.
20. Booth, Robert (13 August 2014). "Inside the Cheesegrater – London's latest skyscraper". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
21. Lane, Thomas. "Stepping back: the story of 8 Bishopsgate". Building. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
22. "WilkinsonEyre's London Tower Navigates Planning Mandates with Nuanced Form and Clever Engineering". Architectural Record. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
23. "London's Tallest Buildings And How They Got Their Names". Londonist. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
24. Amy Frearson (2015-01-22). "London's "Can of Ham" skyscraper back on after six-year hiatus". Dezeen. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
25. Kaika, Maria (2010). "Architecture and crisis: re‐inventing the icon, re‐imag (in) ing London and re‐branding the City". Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers. 35 (4): 453–474.
26. Corporation of London (4 December 2008). "Roof concept image". planning.CityOfLondon.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
27. "Berkeley Wins Beetham Boomerang Bid". SkyscraperNews.com. 21 October 2011.
28. Kalin, K.: Mainostoimiston 15-vuotias lähettityttö huomasi, että Suomi-designin suuri nimi seuraa häntä: Marjatta Sarpaneva kertoo poikkeuksellisella intensiteetillä elämästä muotoilun sisäpiirissä. Helsingin Sanomat, 11.9.2020.
29. "Watch: The legacy of London's former City Hall". BBC. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
30. "So, What Should We Do With London's Very Own Glass Onion?". Londonist. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
31. "Six skyscrapers which would have changed London's skyline but were never built". My London News. Retrieved 23 December 2024.

• Skyscrapers in the City of London