The Gherkin set for a huge ‘facelift’ for the first time in 20 years

One of London's most iconic landmarks opened 20 years ago.

The Gherkin, London’s first food-shaped landmark, launched 20 years ago in the heart of the City.

The quirky glass skyscraper – officially known as 30 St Mary Axe – opened on April 28, 2004, after a three-year construction.

It has become a recognisable part of the London skyline as it towers 591 feet above the City of London.

But it is slowly being upstaged by newer and taller skyscrapers like the 738-foot Cheesegrater.

The 20-year-old building, which houses law and finance firms across 41 floors, has now hit a point where it might need some TLC.

Staff in The Gherkin told Metro.co.uk the interior is now a little ‘outdated’ and in need of a ‘facelift.’

One of the tenants allegedly due to move out for refurbishment works early next year is the American law firm Kirkland & Ellis who take up six floors.

Jimmy Demetriou, director of the Gherkin, commented on the rumoured makeover: ‘The Gherkin has become, almost from the moment it was completed, one of London’s and the world’s most recognisable buildings.

‘Its creation spurred on the development of a wave of new towers in the City over the last 20 years.

‘Its legacy can be seen in adverts, commercials, films and print media around the globe.

‘The building is leased to a variety of occupiers, all with different lease terms.

‘When vacancies arise they are an opportunity for refreshing a fit-out and replacing any outdated or end-of-life plant and equipment.

‘Refurbishments such as these are commonplace, ensuring that buildings remain relevant and attractive to future occupiers and their needs.

‘The scope and extent of the works are still at the planning stage. This will be largely determined by occupier demands and their individual needs.’

Top of Gherkin boasts a rooftop restaurant exclusively for tenants and their guests at peak times, and a ground-level public plaza.

Despite the modern look of the St Mary Axe, the area’s history goes back to the Roman Empire.

During the construction, archeologists found a skeleton of a teenage girl dating back to Roman Britain buried at the site around 1600 years ago.

To protect her from the massive construction project, her remains were temporarily stored in the Museum of London.

In 2007, she was reburied near the original site by The Gherkin with a special tombstone that says in Latin and English ‘To the spirits of the dead, the unknown young girl from Roman London lies buried here.’

But what was the area like before the Gherkin?

Baltic Exchange IRA bombing

The Provisional IRA launched an attack in the heart of London on April 10, 1992 – just one day after Conservative John Major was re-elected as Prime Minister.

The one-tonne car bomb hidden inside a van killed three people and injured 91 others.

It also severely damaged the Baltic Exchange and surrounding buildings, many beyond repair.

The explosion was part of a string of two bombs that blew up in London that day. Just a few hours after, another large bomb damaged Staples Corner in north London.

The bomb caused £800,000,000 worth of damage in the City, including the historic Baltic Exchange.

Campaigners tried to save it, launching a legal challenge which they later withdrew to prevent the building of the ‘erotic gherkin,’ Telegraph reported in October 2000.

Eventually, the Baltic Exchange and Chamber of Shipping were demolished and the site sold.

The Gherkin was first known as Swiss Re Building, named after the main tenant of the building who commissioned the skyscraper as its headquarters.

Because of the IRA bombings in 1992 and 1993, the Traffic and Environmental Zone, ‘Ring of Steel’, was set up at entrances into the City to protect it from further car bombs.

Reactions to The Gherkin opening

You can thank Foster + Assocs for the vegetable-like design.

Its style combines high-tech architecture, neo-futurism and post-modernism.

On the opening day, BBC called it a ‘modern Britain’s instant icon.’

Lord Foster, who designed the building, told the Independent ahead of the launch: ‘This is a radical building, environmentally, spatially and socially.

‘It incorporates innovative environmental technology within its distinctive external curvilinear glass and steel clad form.’

Jonathan Jones from the Guardian called it the ‘first great skyscraper to be built in London,’ saying it became ‘instantly popular.’

He likened it to a pine cone or ‘perhaps a poplar’ rather than a gherkin.

The Gherkin exposes the ‘banal ugliness of the NatWest tower or Canary Wharf,’ he added.

Giles Worsley wrote in The Telegraph that ‘conspiracy theorists are going to have a field day with the Gherkin’ due to its many circles and triangles.

Despite some disagreement over what it resembles, the sign was largely welcomed, earning it the RIBA Stirling prize.

London is expected to get a new skyscraper which will dwarf Gherkin and even Cheesegrater.

The upcoming 1 Undershaft will be 1,1013 feet high – so tall that the Civil Aviation Authority had to ask for it to be lowered out of way of the London City Airport flight path.

Plans for another new skyscraper called the Tulip next to the Gherkin were mocked when the design was revealed.

Some critics said it looked like giant sperm and as if something was emerging out of the tip of the Gherkin to ‘impregnate the heavens,’ while others likened it to a sex toy and a Covid nasal swab.

But it never got approval and plans were put on hold.

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