Horizon 22 V The Shard

Horizon 22 is the viewing level in the tower at 22 Bishopgate. Amazingly, it is free entry, although you do have to book an online ticket and entry time. It is the highest viewing platform in the UK. I’d been to the viewing level in The Shard a couple of days previously and that was 10m lower (254m for Horizon 22 and 244m for The Shard). The Shard building is actually higher than Horizon 22 (278m  for Horizon 22 and 310m for The Shard). To be honest those extra 10m for Horizon 22 isn’t noticeable at all; they both feel bloody high! They do give you different experiences though. The Shard is a standalone tower on the south bank of the Thames. It also has a level that is open to the air and so there’s a feeling of exposure to the environment. It also has a 360° view. Horizon 22 is amongst the other towers in the City giving you quite an unusual perspective, because you are looking down on them. It has a 300° view, missing out on some views to the north. It is also totally enclosed and so you miss out on that feeling of exposure. The Shard included an informative and useful talk by one of its staff whereas you were just left to do your own thing at Horizon 22. They both had cafes. The Shard cost £19 (2026) and Horizon 22 was free. The toilets in The Shard were definitely more impressive! Which one would I recommend? I’d recommend going up both of them. They both give you different experiences and they are both brilliant.

The City

When I worked in London in the 1980s I’d commute into nearby Liverpool Street Station and walk through the city to my place of work in Southwark. Every working day I’d plod past the Natwest Tower (now Tower 42) and look up at its enormous structure and think that I’d never see any building higher than that in my lifetime. Scoot ahead and here I was standing in what was thin air 40 years ago. Incredibly, I was now able to look down and see the top of the Natwest Tower. I never, ever thought that would happen in my wildest dreams. In fact from the Horizon 22 perspective, all the other famous towers like the Gherkin and Walkie Talkie looked small in comparison. Admittedly, the Shard still looked high plonked on the other side of the river at London Bridge. Curiously, I didn’t get the feeling of the building moving as I did with the Shard. Maybe I was getting used to the vertigo. 

It was very grey and a bit cloudy. Occasionally raindrops would splatter the windows. Over to the east I could see the collection of towers at Canary Wharf. The River Thames snaked its way towards the City. There was a great view of the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge and also HMS Belfast moored in the river. I could see the golden top of The Monument below me; I’d climb that in an hours time. It looked tiny from here. Over to the west, I could see Blackfriars, my base while I was down in London. Nearby, the Millennium Bridge crossed the river to the Tate Modern with its ‘power station chimney.’ There was a good view down to the Bank of England and I followed Queen Victoria Street westwards to St Pauls. I intended climbing to the top of its dome later in the day. I hoped the weather cleared up before then. As with The Shard, all I could see were buildings stretching to the horizon. London is an enormous city. 

Where Next?

One day, will I be looking down onto Horizon 22? I thought it would be impossible with the Natwest Tower and look at me now. Never say never. Under current CAA rules, a building can’t be higher than 309.6m which happens to be the exact height of The Shard. So, they can’t build a higher building. There’s still some mileage in making the viewing level higher though. I did wonder about building a 309.6m tower on a hill to gain some height, but that wouldn’t work in London. There are specific rules for London that the height restriction is based on Mean Sea Level to protect the flights into Heathrow and London City.  These various options went through my head as I sipped a coffee in the café area. I glanced over to the windows and rain was splattering the windows. I decided it was time to move on. 

Back down at street level, I walked through a small arcade area that went underneath the building. I reached a small precinct on the other side. I looked skywards and most of the periphery of my vision were buildings stretching to the sky. It was like looking up a vertical tunnel. London is amazing.