BT Tower

The* BT Tower* is a grade II listed communications tower located in Fitzrovia, London, owned by BT Group. It was also known as the GPO Tower and the Post Office Tower. 

It was later officially renamed the Telecom Tower. 

The main structure is 581 feet (177 m) high, with a further section of aerial rigging bringing the total height to 620 feet (189 m). 

Upon completion in 1964, it overtook the Millbank Tower to become the tallest structure in London until 1980, when it in turn was overtaken by the NatWest Tower. It was opened in 1965 by Prime Minister Harold Wilson who viewed it as a monument of a Britain shimmering in the "white heat of technology".

A 360° coloured LED screen is located near the top of the tower—making it a conspicuous presence on the London skyline—which displays news events to the public across central London every day, including breaking news

BT Group owns at least 200 radio masts and towers in Britain. Of these, fourteen are reinforced concrete towers. The rest are of steel lattice construction. 

Seven of the fourteen are of similar design, known as the 'Chilterns' type, after the first one which was built at Stokenchurch on the Chiltern Hills.

Telecommunications towers in the United Kingdom

  • Stokenchurch BT Tower: Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire - 51.665388°N 0.923827°W 120 m ( 394 ft)
  • Charwelton BT Tower: Charwelton, Northamptonshire - 52.202327°N 1.251020°W 118 m ( 387 ft)
  • Pye Green BT Tower: Pye Green, Staffordshire - 52.728687°N 2.019589°W 96.9 m ( 318 ft)
  • Wotton-under-Edge BT Tower: Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire - 51.649319°N 2.304024°W 76.2 m ( 250 ft)
  • Heaton Park BT Tower: Manchester - 53.539611°N 2.255223°W 72.54 m ( 238 ft)
  • Sutton Common BT Tower: Macclesfield, Cheshire - 53.206135°N 2.100711°W 72 m ( 238 ft)
  • Tinshill BT Tower: Cookridge area, Leeds, West Yorkshire - 53.854752°N 1.612009°W 60.96 m ( 200 ft)

The other seven are:

  • Emley Moor Tower: Huddersfield, West Yorkshire - 53.612056°N 1.664414°W 330.5 m ( 1084 ft) 1970
  • London BT Tower: London - 51.5215°N 0.1389°W 188.4 m ( 618 ft) 1964
  • Birmingham BT Tower: Birmingham - 52.483522°N 1.904278°W 152 m ( 499 ft) 1965 *
  • Morborne Hill BT Tower: Peterborough, Cambridgeshire - 52.507618°N 0.344617°W 98.75 m ( 324 ft)
  • Purdown BT Tower: Bristol - 51.485244°N 2.562717°W 70.1 m ( 230 ft) 1970 *
  • Tolsford Hill BT Tower: Folkestone, Kent - 51.107467°N 1.084789°E 67.36 m ( 221 ft)
  • Turners Hill BT Tower: Dudley, West Midlands - 52.496438°N 2.049005°W 60.96 m ( 200 ft)
The BT Tower in London stands tall with its distinctive cylindrical design and digital display.
London
The iconic BT Tower rises above London's skyline under a partly cloudy sky.
Birmingham BT Tower: Birmingham
A tall telecommunications tower against a blue sky.
Stokenchurch BT Tower: Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire
Tall industrial smokestack against a cloudy sky.
Charwelton BT Tower: Charwelton, Northamptonshire
Tall telecommunications tower with antennas surrounded by fields and a town.
Pye Green BT Tower: Pye Green, Staffordshire
A tall communication tower against a blue sky with scattered clouds.
Wotton-under-Edge BT Tower: Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire
Tall communication tower surrounded by green trees and grass under a cloudy sky.
Heaton Park BT Tower: Manchester
Tall communication tower under a cloudy sky.
Sutton Common BT Tower: Macclesfield, Cheshire
A tall communication tower with multiple satellite dishes and antennas.
Tinshill BT Tower: Cookridge area, Leeds, West Yorkshire
Tall observation tower against a clear blue sky.
Emley Moor Tower: Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Two tall communication towers against a cloudy sky.
Morborne Hill BT Tower: Peterborough,
A tall communication tower at sunset over a green landscape.
Purdown BT Tower: Bristol
A tall communication tower with multiple antennas against a clear blue sky.
Tolsford Hill BT Tower: Folkestone, Kent
Two communication towers on a hill with greenery and a blue sky.
Turners Hill BT Tower: Dudley, West Midlands

BT Telephone Exchanges