Tower 42

Tower 42 stands in the City of London on Old Broad Street. Designed by R Seifert & Partners and built by John Mowlem & Co, it opened in 1980 as London’s first skyscraper. At 183 metres it was the tallest building in the United Kingdom when completed. The tower’s shape echoes the NatWest logo with three chevrons arranged in a hexagon. Queen Elizabeth II formally opened it in June 1981. It was originally the National Westminster Tower, the headquarters of NatWest’s international division. The building’s construction broke new ground in British high-rise design. Its concrete core supports 42 cantilevered floors arranged in three segments. Double-deck lifts and sky lobbies at levels 23 and 24 were innovations for the UK. The tower also featured an internal mail train, automated window washers and a computer-controlled air-conditioning system. After severe damage in the 1993 Bishopsgate bombing, it was fully reclad and restored. In 1998 NatWest sold the tower, which was renamed Tower 42. Inside, visitors find Grade A office space and two restaurants on the 24th and 42nd floors. The banking hall from the 19th-century National Provincial Bank survives at street level. The tower’s height and cantilever structure dominate the City skyline. Views stretch across London from the upper floors. The surrounding streets still carry the names of historic banks and merchants.