The Gherkin

Landmark in Whitechapel
The Gherkin image
Address
30 St Mary Axe , Whitechapel, EC3A 8EP
Telephone
020 7071 5008
Category
Landmarks
Region
Whitechapel
Nearest Station
Fenchurch Street
0.20 miles

The Gherkin’s real name is 30 St. Mary Axe, although no one ever uses it. Norman Foster’s eye-catching construction initially courted controversy due to its phallic shape, however Londoners soon got over their shock and it’s now hard to imagine the city’s skyline without it.

The building’s exterior has 24,000 sq metres of glass - which as their website points out is the equivalent of five football pitches – reducing the need for artificial light, and its height (180 metres) means a cherry picker is needed to clean the windows at the very top.

But what lurks inside this towering sculpture? Well, there’s the Searcy restaurant at the very top. Additionally there are five private dining rooms available for hire, and the rest of the building is taken up by offices, meaning that aside from the lobby the only way to enjoy the Gherkin is from the outside.

The Gherkin Picture Gallery

The Gherkin Picture

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