Three Floors at the Top

The Sky Garden occupies the top three floors of 20 Fenchurch Street, the distinctive building in the City of London that is widely known as the Walkie Talkie because of its shape. The building widens as it rises, which means the upper floors are actually larger than the lower ones. This unusual design gives the Sky Garden more space than you might expect from a rooftop garden, with each of the three floors offering a generous area to explore.

Floor 35 is where visitors arrive after taking the high-speed lift from the ground floor lobby. This is the main level of the Sky Garden and features the largest area of landscaped planting, with tropical and Mediterranean plants arranged around walkways and seating areas. The Darwin Brasserie restaurant occupies part of this floor.

Floor 36

The middle level houses the Sky Pod Bar, one of the most popular features of the Sky Garden. The bar sits among the upper canopy of the garden's tallest plants, with floor-to-ceiling windows providing panoramic views while you have a drink. This floor also has additional viewing areas and walkways that connect the different sections of the garden.

The elevation change between floors 35 and 36 gives a slightly different perspective on the surrounding city. Looking north from floor 36, you are at roughly the same height as the tops of some of the City's other prominent buildings, which creates interesting sightlines through the cluster of towers in the financial district.

Floor 37

The top floor is the highest accessible point in the building for visitors. The Fenchurch Restaurant operates on this level, and there are additional viewing areas around the perimeter. From floor 37, the views are the most expansive, with the extra height providing a clearer line of sight over nearby buildings to landmarks further afield.

The glass dome that caps the building is most visible from floor 37. Looking up from this level, you can see how the steel and glass structure curves overhead, creating the distinctive rounded top that gives the Walkie Talkie its recognisable profile on the London skyline.

What You Can See

The 360-degree views from the Sky Garden take in virtually every major London landmark. Looking west, you can see St Paul's Cathedral, the London Eye and the towers of Westminster. To the south, Tower Bridge and the Thames curve away toward Greenwich. The Shard dominates the view to the south-east, and looking east you can see Canary Wharf and the Docklands.

On clear days, the views extend well beyond central London. The hills of Hampstead and Highgate are visible to the north, the suburbs stretch to the horizon in every direction, and you can trace the course of the Thames as it winds through east London toward the estuary.

The Building Itself

20 Fenchurch Street was designed by Uruguayan architect Rafael Vinoly and completed in 2014. The building stands 160 metres tall at its highest point (the top of the mechanical plant above the Sky Garden) and has 37 floors of office space below the public garden levels.

The distinctive shape that earns it the Walkie Talkie nickname was not purely aesthetic. The outward-sloping walls were designed to maximise floor space on the upper levels, which is why the Sky Garden on floors 35 to 37 is wider than the building's ground-level footprint. This design caused an unexpected problem in 2013, when the curved glass facade concentrated sunlight onto the street below with enough intensity to melt parts of a parked car. Anti-glare measures were subsequently added to the facade.

Getting Up There

Access to the Sky Garden is via dedicated lifts in the ground floor lobby at 20 Fenchurch Street. The lift journey takes approximately 30 seconds and delivers you directly to floor 35. Before reaching the lifts, all visitors pass through security screening, so allow a few extra minutes beyond your booked arrival time.