Nicknames of London Buildings
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Affectionate Nicknames for Some of London's Buildings and Landmarks
It may be part of the famous British sense of humour, or a clever marketing ploy by the developers, but Londoners like to use nicknames when referring to some of the buildings and landmarks that form part of their city.
This article provides you with an overview of the most famous ones. It was inspired by a Japanese tourist who once asked me what the building in the picture on the left was called. I hesitated for a moment as I was not sure whether I should give her the real name, or the nickname. I decided to provide her with the latter, which led to some confusion as I tried t explain what a gherkin is in sign-language!
The origins of the nicknames cannot always be explained, with one notable exception: in a speech in 2003 Prince Charles said: "At the moment 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." (note: this is ironic as this particular building is designed by the Sellar Group).
[Photograph by John Keogh on Flickr]
This article provides you with an overview of the most famous ones. It was inspired by a Japanese tourist who once asked me what the building in the picture on the left was called. I hesitated for a moment as I was not sure whether I should give her the real name, or the nickname. I decided to provide her with the latter, which led to some confusion as I tried t explain what a gherkin is in sign-language!
The origins of the nicknames cannot always be explained, with one notable exception: in a speech in 2003 Prince Charles said: "At the moment 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." (note: this is ironic as this particular building is designed by the Sellar Group).
[Photograph by John Keogh on Flickr]
Can of Ham - aka 60-70 St Mary's Axe
This has not stopped it from earning itself the nickname "can of ham" due to its unique looks. The proposed building, which will include 18 floors of office space, is supposed to be assembled with the usual mix of steel and glass, and will have a healthy measure of enivornmentally-friendly features, such as solar panels and energy recycling systems.
All in all, it sounds like a perfect accompaniment to the neighbouring building: The Gherkin!
Cheesegrater aka Leadenhall Building
The shape of the building is also quite distinctive as it slants, or tapers as it goes up. This causes each storey to vary in floor size, ranging from 550 to 6000 square metres. The special shape was also chosen to ensure that the structure would not intrude into the sight-line of St. Paul's Cathedral when viewed along Fleet Street and up Ludgate Hill.
The wedge-shape of the building has earned it the nickname of Cheesegrater. It is certainly quite a change from the old P&O Building that used to be on the site. It was demolished from the ground up as can be seen from this picture on Flickr.
See also: 'Cheesegrater' project revived as London office market recovers - The Guardian, 25th October 2010
Gherkin aka 30 St Mary Axe
The curved shapes of the building can be seen from far away, and they provide a clear contrast to the more traditional buildings and famous landmarks such as Tower Bridge, the London Eye and St Paul's Cathedral. It often features in backdrop of TV news programs, films such as Love Actually and is .sometimes as a point of reference in weather reports on local radio stations such as LBC 97.3.
The structure features innovative designs, especially from an eco-friendly perspective. The design makes great use of daylight and natural ventilation so that it uses half the energy typically required by an office block.
Photograph courtesy of goern on Flickr
London Stamps on eBay
Helter-Skelter aka The Pinnacle
When complete, the Pinnacle Tower, aka the Helter-Skelter will wind its way up to around 287m ( 60 floors) in the midst of other tall buildings that make up London's financial district.The tower is made up of a series of complex geometrical shapes (hence the nickname) but incorporates more down-to-earth features such as the restoration of an ancient public right-of-way which will link it to other notable landmarks along Bishopsgate and St. Mary Axe.
Further up there will be around 90,000 square metres of office space along with some retail amenities. The project is due for completion in 2013.
Pringle aka Olympics Cycle Track
Construction work on the Velodrome is essentially complete and came under budget. More than 2,500 sections of steelwork were installed altogether to complete the roof structure and upper tier of the Velodrome. The steelwork sections rises in height by 12 metres from the shallowest point to the highest part of the structure, helping form the distinct double-curved roof structure which has been designed to reflect the geometry of the cycling track.
The unusual shape of the roof have led Londoner's to give it the nickname of "Pringle", after the famous crisp brand.
Salt Cellar aka The Shard
The Shard, previously known as London Bridge Tower, the Shard of Glass and 32 London Bridge is a skyscraper in Southwark, London. It is the tallest building in the European Union and the 45th tallest building in the world. It is the second tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom after the 1,084 ft (330.4m) Emley Moor transmitting station.The tower stands 1,017 ft (310 m) tall and has 72 floors, plus 15 further radiator floors in the roof. The building has been designed with an irregular triangular shape from the base to the top. It is clad entirely in glass. The viewing gallery and open-air observation deck is on the top floor. It is located on top of London Bridge station as can clearly be seen on this picture taken by a Police helicopter.
The building replaces Southwark Towers, a 24-storey office building of 1976. Renzo Piano, the building's architect, worked together with architectural firm Broadway Malyan during the planning stage of the project.
Not everyone is keen on it though, as can be seen in this Guardian article on 19th August 2011. On the other hand, some people just could not wait for it to open.
Photograph courtesy of George Rex on Flickr
Walkie-Talkie aka 20 Fenchurch Street
It is currently under construction in the City of London though it is reportedly suffering from the economic climate woes which has delayed completion from 2011 to 2014.
Nevertheless, it has already been nicknamed The Walkie Talkie. It has been designed by the Uruguayan born architect Rafael Viñoly and will feature a highly distinctive, top-heavy form which appears to burst upward and outward.
The tower was originally proposed at nearly 200 metres tall, but was scaled down after concerns about its impact on St Paul's Cathedral. It was subsequently approved in November 2006. Even after this reduction, however, there were continued concerns from heritage groups about its impact on the surrounding area. The project subsequently went to a public inquiry. In July 2007, this ruled in the developers' favour, and the tower was granted full planning permission.
London's "Picnic Table" on a Map
More London Nicknames
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"The Drain"
aka the Waterloo and City underground railway line: it has two stops and carries an average of 37,000 commuters a day between Waterloo Station and Bank in the City of London. -
"The Tube"
aka the London underground railway system. It travels through narrow tubes obviously!. As an aside, if you are interested in disused railway stations you should check out this comprehensive website. -
"The Square Mile"
aka The City of London, where the financial district is located. It covers an area of approximately 1 square mile, hence the nickname. -
"The Smoke"
aka London itself. This refers to the period from the 19th to the first half of the 20th century when Londoners used coal to heat their homes. The resulting smoke, associated with local climate conditions, often caused a thick fog to descend on the capital.
This effect peaked during a period known as the Great Smog of 1952; the "fog" lasted 5 days and 4,000 people lost their life as a result. The government responded by passing the Clean Air Act 1956 which required the creation of zones where only smokeless fuels could be used. This restriction is still in force today. -
"Big Ben"
aka Westminster Clock Tower. The main tower of the Palace of Westminster which houses the UK's Houses of Parliament is often referred to as Big Ben. This is in fact the name of the bell situated at the top of the tower. Naturally it has it's own Twitter account! -
"Boris Bikes"
aka the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme which allows anyone to hire one of 5000 bicycles located at more than 300 sites around central London. The nickname refers to Mayor of London Boris Johnson who is responsible for introducing the scheme, though it was the previous mayor Ken Livingstone who first started the project.
Web Resources on London
Photograph: Wikimedia Commons
- London information service
- This site contains an impressive amount of information covering tourist attractions, shops, restaurants and events that the capital has to offer.
- Visit London
- Promotes London as the world's most exciting city to domestic and overseas leisure and business visitors, as well as Londoners.
A Penny for your Thoughts...
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Wordwinder
Feb 8, 2012 @ 10:31 pm | delete
- Once a nickname becomes comman usage the formal appellation sounds so alien, unfamiliar, and non-represntative. It is so with names of people too, isn't it?! Enjoyable lens.
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Lindrus
Feb 7, 2012 @ 2:11 am | delete
- Thanks for a great and informative lens!
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lovetouring
Jun 8, 2011 @ 4:17 pm | delete
- Some of the above listed, even we had not heard before in the office. So nice one.
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nancycarol
May 23, 2011 @ 1:42 pm | delete
- I've always wanted to travel to England...I really enjoyed this lens,and thank you so much for sharing.
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jptanabe
May 12, 2011 @ 3:12 pm | delete
- That was fun - thanks for sharing these nicknames. They do make up quite a picnic table!
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About the Author
by CharlesNullens
I have lived in London since 1989 so am perfectly placed to write about it. I have always been fascinated by the nicknames that Londoners give to certain... more »
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