While the London cityscape’s unplanned, mishmash nature is a large part of its attraction, there’s no getting around the fact that not every piece of architecture really works.
As with any major city, the sheer number of buildings and the varying architecture can spark debate as to how nice a building is to look at, as it populates the London skyline.
Here is LondonWorld’s list of some buildings whose aesthetic is, at the very least, contentious. Join the debate on our Facebook page.
1. Centre Point
Centre Point is the landmark near where Oxford Street, Tottenham Court Road, Charing Cross Road and New Oxford Street meet. Completed in 1966, it holds a mixture of homes and commercial units. Its empty state in its early years was the inspiration for the homeless charity’s ‘Centrepoint’ name. Photo: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images/Google Maps
2. Euston
While remants of a grand old Euston remain - not least the gatehouses that contain the Euston Tap pub - the 1960s redeveloped station is a lump. Things are not improving with the eternal HS2 building site excreting from its side. Photo: Mike Barnes/Getty Images/Hulton Archive
3. Elephant and Castle
Perhaps unfair as it is being redeveloped, but the shopping centre at Elephant and Castle, home to a valued community of traders, was a special bit of '60s design. Photo: Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty/Google Maps
4. Saffron Tower
The purple and red Saffron Tower has something many places on this list do not: colour. Despite this, the shape of the Saffron Tower lets it down in many's eyes. Its odd shape makes it as strange as it is ugly. Photo: Google Maps