Drapers' Gardens
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Drapers Gardens was a recently-demolished skyscraper in the City of London. It was 100 metres (328 ft) tall and had 30 storeys. It was completed in 1967 on land owned by the Drapers' Company. It was designed by Richard Seifert, the architect of the Tower 42. Until the skyscraper was built, the site had been undeveloped since Roman times, as it was waterlogged by tributaries of the River Walbrook.
It was the tallest building ever to be demolished in the UK, surpassing Limebank House which was 93 metres (305 ft).
When viewed from Waterloo Bridge (as in the photograph below), Drapers Gardens appeared as the closest office tower to St Paul's Cathedral. For this reason it was disliked by many people. Conversely, there were those who cited the building as a fine example of its period, and one of the few genuinely well-designed towers of the 1960s. Seifert himself described the building as his proudest achievement.
The proposed replacement is only 75 metres (246 ft) tall with 16 floors, but will have more floor space. It is designed by Foggo Associates.
Between the demolition and rebuilding, an archaeological dig by Pre-Construct Archaeology Ltd found Roman remains dating from 63 AD to 383 AD. These included a well with 19 metal vessels in an exceptional state of preservation, a ruler and the skull of a bear.[1][2]
