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Piercing the skyline above London Bridge station, The Shard is the tallest building in the UK and one of the most ambitious architectural projects in recent British history. With its 95 storeys of glass and steel, this vertical city has become a modern London icon, in fact, it’s probably eclipsed previous skyline icons such as The Gherkin as one of the unmistakable London landmarks.
The Shard still stands out in the increasingly busy surroundings of south London, especially Elephant and Castle which seems to be getting more high rise by the day. If you’re looking for some fun facts about The Shard, or you’ve just wondered about it’s history or the details of it’s construction, we’ve got you covered in our full guide to everything you wanted to know about The Shard…
What Was There Before?
Before The Shard redefined the Southwark skyline, the site was home to Southwark Towers, a rather drab 24-storey office block designed by TP Bennett in the 1970s. It was the sort of post-war commercial building that might generously be described as functional. By the early 2000s, it was widely seen as outdated, and plans for redevelopment began gathering pace.
The South Bank of the River Thames was actually a bit of a wasteland for many years.
After the Second World War, the south side of the Thames was a patchwork of bomb damage, docks, light industry and working-class housing. Southwark, in particular, was a gritty, undervalued corner of London. Its riverfront was industrial and a bit utalitarian rather than the cultural hub we know it for today. Think of it as a place for goods and grit, not galleries or glass towers. After all there is a huge power station slap in the middle opposite St Paul’s Cathedral!
By the 1970s, many of the wharves had closed. While the area was rich in history, it was under-invested and largely overlooked in London’s narrative. Southwark Towers, the drab office block that preceded The Shard, was typical of the time – uninspiring and inward-looking, with little relationship to the city around it
Who Built The Shard?
The Shard was the brainchild of property developer Irvine Sellar. After acquiring Southwark Towers in 1998, he had the ambitious idea of replacing it with something iconic… A vertical city that would house offices, restaurants, homes, and a hotel. Architect Renzo Piano, known for designing Paris’s Centre Pompidou, was brought on board and reportedly sketched the idea for the glass spire on the back of a napkin during their first meeting.
Construction began in 2009 and involved some clever footwork: the demolition of the old tower was done from the top down to minimise disruption. The Shard officially opened in 2012, shortly before London hosted the Olympic Games.
Who Paid for It?
The Shard cost around £435 million to build, much of it funded by Qatari investors. The State of Qatar owns a 95 percent stake in the building through its sovereign wealth fund, with Irvine Sellar’s company retaining the remainder. The project was a joint venture between Sellar Property and the Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company.
The involvement of overseas investors was controversial at the time, with some critics concerned about the increasing influence of foreign capital on London’s property market. Others saw it as a pragmatic move that helped turn an ambitious vision into a landmark.
What’s Inside The Shard?
Despite being London’s tallest building, The Shard isn’t just an office block or a vanity tower. It’s designed as a vertical city, with different sections serving different purposes.
- Floors 1 to 28: Office space, home to law firms, media companies, and financial institutions.
- Floors 31 to 33: Restaurants including Aqua Shard, Oblix and Hutong, offering panoramic views with your meal.
- Floors 34 to 52: The five-star Shangri-La Hotel, which includes an infinity pool on the 52nd floor and the highest hotel bar in London.
- Floors 53 to 65: Luxury residential apartments – known as the Shard Residences – though many remain unoccupied.
- Floors 68 to 72: The View from The Shard, a public viewing gallery with 360-degree views extending up to 40 miles on a clear day.
The top 23 floors taper off into a spire, the ‘shard’ of the name – which are obviously uninhabitable and lit from within at night.
Interesting Facts and Features
- It’s not actually 95 floors high: The top floors are more structure than space. The highest occupied floor is the 72nd.
- It was designed to be energy efficient: The Shard incorporates energy-saving features like triple-glazed glass, energy-efficient chillers, and a combined heat and power plant fuelled by natural gas.
- It has its own artwork: In the hotel lobby, guests are greeted by a large piece by artist YZ Kami. There are also occasional exhibitions and art events inside the building.
- A fox once lived at the top: During construction, a fox was found living on the 72nd floor. It survived by eating scraps from builders’ lunches and became an unexpected media star.
Why The Shard Still Matters
When The Shard was proposed, it split opinion. Critics said it would look alien on the low-rise London skyline. Others claimed it would be another soulless corporate tower. But a decade on, it has quietly embedded itself into the visual identity of modern London.
More importantly, The Shard has helped reshape Southwark, drawing attention (and money) south of the river. It has become a symbol of ambition and regeneration, even if it remains out of reach for most Londoners.
Getting There The Shard sits directly above London Bridge station, making it one of the easiest landmarks to reach by public transport. Exit the station and simply look up.
Final Thoughts
Whether you admire its cutting-edge architecture or see it as a glass-and-steel statement of global capital, there’s no denying The Shard is now an essential part of London’s story. It stands tall, both literally and figuratively, in the ever-evolving narrative of the capital.
