For a city filled with ancient landmarks and royal palaces, London has a curious blind spot when it comes to its 1960s architectural icon: the Post Office Tower. It looms above Fitzrovia like a relic from a lost future—once the tallest building in Britain, now just another background character in the city’s skyline. But beneath its iconic cylindrical frame lies a history bursting with espionage, celebrity dinners, and one very large explosion.
The Dawn of a Communications Giant
In the swinging sixties, Britain was in desperate need of a modern telecommunications hub. The old system, which relied on telephone cables running under the streets, was buckling under the strain of an increasingly connected world. Enter the Post Office Tower (now known as the BT Tower), a gleaming beacon of modernity, standing 177 metres (581 feet) tall and designed to carry microwave signals across the country.
It was a feat of engineering: constructed from reinforced concrete, it had to be slim enough to resist high winds but strong enough to support a mass of aerial dishes transmitting telephone and television signals across Britain. And it wasn’t just practical—it was futuristic. This was the 1960s, an era obsessed with space travel and technology, and the tower fit right in with its Jetsons-style optimism. It even had a revolving restaurant.
London’s Most Exclusive Dining Experience
Yes, for a brief and glorious period, the Post Office Tower wasn’t just a functional piece of infrastructure; it was also home to the capital’s most exclusive (and bizarre) dining spot. The Top of the Tower restaurant, operated by the Butlins holiday camp empire, sat on the 34th floor and completed a full rotation every 22 minutes.
Diners included celebrities, politicians, and visiting dignitaries, all of whom enjoyed breathtaking panoramic views of London while feasting on dishes like prawn cocktail and duck à l’orange. But if the menu was predictably 1960s, the experience was unforgettable. There was something deeply glamorous about eating your Black Forest gateau while the entire city slowly pirouetted around you.
The Secret (and Not-So-Secret) Spy Hub
The Post Office Tower was never just a restaurant or a communications hub—it was a crucial Cold War asset. British intelligence agencies used it to intercept signals and monitor transmissions. It was, in effect, one of London’s most important pieces of national security infrastructure.
For years, it was so secretive that it was actually classified. The tower—despite being one of the most visible buildings in the city—did not officially exist on maps. That’s right: you could stand in front of it, point at it, take pictures of it, but according to government documents, it simply wasn’t there. This rather spectacular attempt at bureaucratic gaslighting continued for decades.
The Bombing That Shut the Restaurant Forever
In 1971, the Post Office Tower’s glittering social life came to an abrupt end. A bomb exploded in the men’s toilets on the 33rd floor, shattering windows and sending debris flying across Fitzrovia.
The Angry Brigade, a far-left anarchist group known for attacking symbols of power and capitalism , and the IRA claimed responsibility, but the perpetrator was never caught. While no one was injured, the explosion effectively ended the restaurant’s tenure. Authorities decided that hosting the city’s elite in a major communications hub, atop a building that was both a terrorist target and an intelligence asset, might not be the wisest idea.
The Top of the Tower restaurant closed, never to reopen. The dream of dining among the clouds, forever lost.
Pop Culture Fame and Quiet Decline
For a time, the tower was a pop culture icon. It featured in Doctor Who, where it was naturally the site of alien invasions. It starred in an episode of The Goodies where it snapped off and rolled down the street. It even made an appearance in Thunderbirds under a thinly disguised alias, only to meet an explosive end—art imitating life, perhaps.
But as the decades passed, London’s skyline changed. The Shard, the Gherkin, and the Walkie-Talkie emerged, pushing the once-mighty tower into obscurity. Microwave transmission was gradually replaced by fibre-optic cables, reducing the tower’s original purpose.
Is the BT Tower Still in Use?
Yes, but in a much-reduced capacity. While it no longer dominates telecommunications, it remains part of BT’s infrastructure, handling some broadcasting and networking operations. The tower is also home to office space and technical facilities, but it is no longer open to the public.
There have been occasional events held in the building, including charity dinners and VIP tours, but the dream of reopening the observation deck or restaurant seems unlikely. Security concerns and modern broadcasting technology have left the tower as more of a historical curiosity than a working landmark.
The Future of the Tower
With its original function diminished, the future of the BT Tower is uncertain. In 2023, BT announced plans to sell the building, sparking speculation about its fate. Could it become luxury apartments? A new tourist attraction? A quirky hotel? Given its location and history, the possibilities are endless—but whatever happens, it’s clear that London’s lost space-age icon still has a few stories left to tell.
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