Standing Tall

Aptly described as “London’s first skyscraper” by presenter Dermot O’Leary, the 202-foot Monument to the Great Fire of London was designed by Sir Christopher Wren to represent the City that rose from the ashes. The 17th century tower is also photographer Rich McCor’s favourite viewpoint, as he explains, “I love it because it’s still pretty cheap to get to the top and there’s no lift so you have to put the effort in. At the Monument, you go up quite high but you’re still in among it all, you can still hear the streets and people and yet the vantage point is great. It’s got a really interesting story behind it, too.”

The inspiration for Rich McCor’s London roller coaster, long-time Londoner Christine Ohuruogu MBE cites this “iconic structure” as one of her favourite London landmarks. London Fire Brigade Commissioner, Dany Cotton admits, “I do hold a special affection for Greenwich, but it’s probably the view from City Hall down the Thames to Tower Bridge. It’s an amazing view and I love the river.”

And Chef Mark Hix is a recent convert, “I drive a Vespa around London and going over Tower Bridge is a nice thing to do first thing in the morning,” he says. “I’ve never lived south of the river before now but coming from there you see a lot of London you don’t normally see.”

Grade II-listed “Ally Pally” offers more than sports and entertainment. Comedian Alan Carr puts it at the top of his list, “I think the view from Alexandra Palace is hard to beat. You can really see everything up there.”

Alexandra Palace is a clear winner for Christine Ohuruogu MBE, who tells us, “On a lovely day with clear skies – it’s absolutely beautiful.”

A winning vantage point for photographer Martin Parr, he regularly crosses the “Wobbly Bridge” simply to soak up the views up and down the Thames.  

Singer, Sampha, agrees, “The view of St Paul’s Cathedral from the Millennium Bridge always makes me love London.”

Completed in 1964, the Post Office Tower stands 191 metres tall and originally boasted a revolving restaurant on its 34th floor. Now known as the BT Tower, “it is something of a forgotten landmark,” laments chef Mark Broadbent. Not so forgotten, however: childhood neighbour Sophie Conran still holds a torch for the Fitzrovian landmark, “It’s a 1960s modernist building and looks a bit like a pepper grinder – it’s very incongruous. It’s a unique building and quite space age, like somewhere the Clangers would live.”

And Pixie Lott tells us she recently celebrated her Dad’s surprise 60th birthday party there.

Our newest entrant, The Shard of Glass has made a name for its jaw-dropping outlook. Artist GavinTurk recalls his first visit, “I was really shocked, interested and excited when I went to the top of The Shard. Suddenly you realise you’re right in the centre of London and you get this whole historical and geographical shift because you can almost see the way that London was built from there. It’s a view but, because you’re so high up, it’s almost like looking at a map.”

And it’s not just for finer diners: dancer Eric Underwood’s favourite city view is, “From the toilets in The Shard – it’s amazing!”

In spite of its relative infancy, The Shard has made quite an impression on London’s skyline. Amanda Levete CBE loves the way it “protect St Paul’s”; while Simon Lycett regularly heads to Brockwell Park to see, “the most spectacular view of proper urban London with The Shard and The London Eye and all those incredible buildings on the city skyline.”

Michelin-starred chef, Clare Smyth MBE agrees, “My favourite view would be of The Albert Bridge from Battersea Bridge, especially when it’s all lit up at night. On a clear evening you can see The Shard and St Paul’s, I'm lucky enough to see it every day on my way to work.”  And for GQ’s Dylan Jones OBE, “Looking west up the river from Albert Bridge” is always a fail-safe.

Just six kilometres from Trafalgar Square, this 790-acre ancient London park offers an unrivalled glimpse of the city, according to our London collective. Actress Sadie Frost and singer Sampha regularly visit the Heath to enjoy the spectacular view, while London Design Festival’s Ben Evans migrates towards, “The east side of Hampstead Heath, the Highgate side. Just to the east of Kenwood House, there’s a point that gives you an almost panoramic view of London – it feels like the view John Keats might have had in the 19th century.”

Amanda Levete CBE loves the Heath’s Parliament Hill for its “stunning” views, as does actor David Morrissey, “It has to be from so-called Kite Hill on Parliament Hill in the southeast corner of Hampstead Heath. The view of the London skyline is unbeatable.”

Henry VIII’s old chase has “legendary views”, according to renowned resident, Sadie Frost. Conservationist David Shreeve and stand-up comedian, Shappi Khorsandi are fans, and photographer Alex Proud has even claimed the vista as his own: “It’s ‘my view’. If you look on my Instagram I have about a hundred photos of it, it’s so wonderfully different but best late at night when empty.”

Novelist Rachel Johnson and British Vogue’s Vanessa Kingori MBE regularly take in the view from the top. Rachel tells us “it reminds me of my childhood in the park;” while it gives Vanessa a refreshing perspective, “You can get higher views from buildings but it’s quite nice to see London with your feet still on the ground.” And presenter Dermot O’Leary tells us, “You can see four seasons in one day and a beautiful vista of the whole of London.”

This Grade II-listed structure is far more than a functional link from the city to The Southbank: Waterloo Bridge has won the hearts of over a quarter of our London contingent. Florist Simon Lycett, journalist Robert Peston and jeweller Stephen Webster are constantly in awe of the outlook from this renowned overpass, while Antony Micallef tells us, “Every time I cross it, I feel incredibly proud to be living in this city. London is a fantastically exciting city to live in and it encompasses this feeling for me.”

Chef Vivek Singh regularly devours the view, “From the bus on Waterloo Bridge when you look left and you see The Eye, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and the famous skyline. On the same point you turn right and see a beautiful view of St Paul’s and Somerset House. I think it’s one of most fascinating views of London that really puts into context what the city is all about.”

Rachel Trevor-Morgan loves the “sense of space” the bridge affords, while Timothy Spall always pauses part-way across to enjoy it, “At the right time of the day, there is glorious Westminster, the London Eye and the setting sun in one direction, and Tower Bridge, St Paul’s and the City in the other.” Paul Sculfor can be found driving across the bridge, “on a warm, still night, and looking to the west at the lights of the London Eye with Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament and, to the east, St Paul’s Cathedral with all the new imposing City buildings as a proud backdrop.”

And Waterloo Bridge holds the greatest memories for actor Robert Lindsay: “I proposed to my wife there,” he says. “That’s still one of my favourite places. If I want to stand and have a good think that’s a really good place. It’s a fantastic view, one of the greatest in London.”