London is getting a brand-new £1,000,000,000 skyscraper, complete with a panoramic viewing gallery, public gardens, and a bar.
The tower, named One London, will be the tallest in the City of London and will replace St Helen’s Tower, located between the Cheesegrater and the Gherkin.
Under the plans, the 309.6m tower – designed by Eric Parry Architects – will match the height of The Shard, comprising 74 storeys and complete with terraces.
It will feature Europe’s highest publicly accessible viewing gallery at the top of the building, operated by the London Museum and offering gorgeous panoramic views of the city.
On levels 72 and 73, there will be elevated education space operated in partnership with the London Museum that aims to ‘bring the city’s history and geography to life’.
On the 11th floor will be a free-to-access elevated public podium garden that wraps around the tower to provide an ‘air sanctuary’ and 360-degree viewing platform for visitors and workers.
Below that, across levels nine and 10, is a 400-seat double-height auditorium for presentations and events, all set against a backdrop of views of the City of London.
A bar will occupy level 71 of the tower in what is being called the ‘highest bar in London’, while an additional lounge, fitness space, wellness suite, and a bar can be enjoyed in the tower’s lower floors.
Plans indicate that the building will also add 42,700 square feet of public space on the ground floor with 350 outdoor seats.
When will One London be finished?
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Aroland Holdings, the company behind the project, received full planning permission from the City of London Corporation in late 2025, and deconstruction of the current building, St Helen’s Tower, is underway.
Construction on One London, formerly known as 1 Undershaft, is only expected to begin in 2028, with the aim of a 2033 completion.
‘A historic moment’
In a press release statement, architect Eric Parry said: ‘One London stands as an icon at the centre of a great city with a confident future in its global role and outreach.
‘London has evolved around the “Square Mile”, essentially the Roman city, over the last two thousand years, adding with each historical twist and turn layers of building and conversation of every period since.’
He added: ‘We stand at a historic moment of physical metamorphosis as the City rises in a uniquely close and tall form, at the centre of which is One London.’
As work on One London begins, so does deconstruction on London’s famous BT Tower, which is set to undergo a major transformation into a hotel with a 2033 completion date.
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