This is a list of the tallest destroyed buildings and structures in the United Kingdom. The list consists only of free standing structures; the numerous guyed radio masts and towers that have been demolished or destroyed are excluded. In addition, the list includes only those buildings and structures that exceeded a height of 80 m (260 ft); around 200 largely residential buildings over 50 m (160 ft) tall have been demolished across the UK since the late 1990s. [1]
An equal sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings.
Building or structure was demolished intentionally
Building or structure was destroyed by bombing or fire
| Rank | Name | Location | Image | Usage | Height | Year completed | Year destroyed | Fate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Brighton Tower | New Brighton, Merseyside |  | Observation tower | 173 m (568 ft) | 1900 | 1921 | Structure was neglected during World War I and become unsafe for public use. It was dismantled between 1919 and 1921. | [2] |
| 2 | Southwark Towers | Southwark, London |  | Office | 100 m (330 ft) | 1976 | 2009 | Demolished to make way for The Shard, which at 309.6 m (1,016 ft) became the tallest building in the UK and European Union upon completion in 2012. | [3] |
| 3 | Drapers' Gardens | City of London, London |  | Office | 99 m (325 ft) | 1967 | 2007 | Demolished as part of regeneration of the City of London financial district. The replacement office building is 75 m (246 ft) tall. | [4] |
| 4 | Great Wheel | Kensington and Chelsea, London |  | Ferris wheel | 94 m (308 ft) | 1895 | 1907 | Built as part of the Empire of India Exhibition at Earls Court, the wheel was eventually demolished due to lack of profits. | [5] |
| 5 | Limebank House | City of London, London | Office | 93 m (305 ft) | 1969 | 1998 | The building formerly served as headquarters of Barclays. The bank has since relocated to One Churchill Place in Canary Wharf. | [6] | |
| 6 | 20 Fenchurch Street | City of London, London |  | Office | 92 m (302 ft) | 1968 | 2008 | The new 160 m (520 ft) 20 Fenchurch Street nicknamed 'The Walkie Talkie' was completed in 2014. | [7] |
| 7 | Glasgow Empire Exhibition Tower | Glasgow, Scotland |  | Observation tower | 91 m (299 ft) | 1938 | 1939 | The tower was built as a centrepiece of the Empire Exhibition at Bellahouston Park. In the build up to World War II it was demolished following concerns it would act as a marker for enemy bombers. | [8] |
| 8= | World Trade Centre | Tower Hamlets, London | Office | 89 m (292 ft) | 1991 | 2004 | The building was heavily damaged by an IRA bombing in 1996. Part of the frame was incorporated into a Hilton hotel which was completed in 2008. | [9] | |
| 8= | 21 Birnie Court | Glasgow, Scotland |  | Residential | 89 m (292 ft) | 1969 | 2013 | The tallest apartment building demolished in the UK, it formed part of the Red Road housing complex. | [10] |
| 10= | Crystal Palace North Tower | Bromley, London |  | Observation tower | 86 m (282 ft) | 1852 | 1939 | Despite surviving the infamous 1936 Crystal Palace fire which destroyed the majority of the main structure, the two towers were demolished in 1939 due to concerns they would act as markers for enemy bombers in World War II. | [11] |
| 10= | Crystal Palace South Tower | Bromley, London |  | Observation tower | 86 m (282 ft) | 1852 | 1939 | Despite surviving the infamous 1936 Crystal Palace fire which destroyed the majority of the main structure, the two towers were demolished in 1939 due to concerns they would act as markers for enemy bombers in World War II. | [12] |
| 12= | Manchester Assize Courts | Manchester, Lancashire |  | Court | 80 m (260 ft) | 1864 | 1957 | The building sustained irreparable damage during World War II and was eventually demolished in 1957. Designed by Alfred Waterhouse, it is regarded as one of the UK's finest 'lost' buildings. [13] [14] | [15] |
| 12= | Winchester House | City of London, London | Office | 80 m (260 ft) | 1968 | 1997 | Fourth-tallest office building demolished in the City of London. | [16] | |
| 12= | 153 Petershill Drive | Glasgow, Scotland | | Residential | 80 m (260 ft) | 1969 | 2012 | The second tallest apartment building demolished in the UK, it formed part of the Red Road housing complex. | [17] |
