30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin)
Bullet-shaped glass tower born from a nineteen ninety-two IRA bomb site, iconic for its energy-saving spiral design.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to 30 St Mary Axe in London begins on the night of April tenth, nineteen ninety-two, when a bomb parked on this street killed three people, including fifteen-year-old Danielle Carter, and tore through the Victorian Baltic Exchange that had stood here for generations. You'll hear about the fight over whether to save the ruined exchange, and how Swiss Re and architect Norman Foster ended up building on the rubble instead. Walk a slow loop around the base of the tower and take in how the glass panels catch the light differently as you go.
This audio guide was created using AI.
Similar places
The Shard
Glass supertall skyscraper of jagged spires, housing offices, a hotel, restaurants and a public viewing platform.
Sky Garden
Free three-floor garden atop the Walkie-Talkie tower with panoramic City views.
St Dunstan in the East Church Garden
Blitz-ruined medieval church transformed into a tranquil city garden, with Wren's Gothic steeple intact.
Palace of Westminster
Neo-Gothic seat of the UK Parliament, rebuilt after a catastrophic fire destroyed most of the medieval palace in eighteen thirty-four.
St. Paul's Cathedral
Baroque cathedral with a soaring dome, crypt, and Stone Gallery, completed by Wren in seventeen eleven.
Monument to the Great Fire of London
Towering Doric column marking where the Great Fire of London began, with a golden urn and panoramic city views.