The scheme was originally dubbed the 'erotic gherkin', when plans were first announced in the year 2000. Its cylindrical profile is reminiscent of the maligned pickle. Like the Cheesegrater, the Gherkin nickname is easy to fathom. The Gherkin or 30 St Mary Axe, 180 metres The tower is part of the wider St George Wharf development, which includes those green and white apartment blocks upstream of Vauxhall Bridge. The name, somewhat blandly, comes from developers St George. It is currently the UK's tallest residential tower. The cylindrical tower at Vauxhall made the news for tragic reasons in 2013 when a helicopter hit its construction crane, resulting in two deaths. Seen from above, the tower's shape resembles the NatWest logo. The skyscraper was formerly known as the NatWest Tower after the National Westminster Bank, for whom it was built. The Hitchhiker's Guide-riffing name refers to the number of habitable floors in the building - a champagne bar can be found on the 42nd floor. At 183 metres, it is now the seventh tallest in London, and will probably slip to something like 15th by the end of the decade.

You wouldn't guess it to look at the modern skyline, but Tower 42 was once the tallest building in the country. See 1 Canada Square for an explanation of the official names. 8 Canada Square (the HSBC Tower) and 25 Canada Square (the Citigroup Tower), 200 metresīoth are 200 metres tall and both are commonly known after the banks which occupy them. Its official name of the Leadenhall Building, or 122 Leadenhall Street derives from a medieval hall frequented by lead merchants, which once stood on this street. Her husband, Richard Rogers, is senior partner of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the firm who designed (and now work in) the Cheesegrater. We've heard, on good authority, that the nickname started with Ruth Rogers, of Hammersmith's River Cafe. Its sloped profile and cross-hatched facade give it the appearance of a giant grater. The City giant's nickname is fairly self-explanatory.

The Cheesegrater or the Leadenhall Building, 225 metres The skyscraper also goes by the horrendous name of Salesforce Tower, after its principal tenant. The tower is now officially called 110 Bishopsgate, whose street name derives from an old Roman and medieval gate into the City (though why it was associated with bishops is not certain). This company is owned by Gerald Ronson, and is truncated from Henry Ronson, his father. Instead, it's named after developer Heron. The City of London's tallest building (for now), the Heron's muse is not ornithological in origin.

This name dates back to the 1930s, when a quay and warehouse were established in the area for fruit trade with the Canary Islands. The main tower is often referred to as the Canary Wharf tower. Why Canada? The site's original developers, Olympia and York, hail from Toronto. Canada Square was originally to be called Docklands Square, then Winston Square, before the North American appellation was settled upon. Britain's tallest building between 19, the pyramid-topped skyscraper remains the centrepiece of the Canary Wharf estate.

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