Hotels near Tower 42 - formerly NatWest Tower

At 601 feet, Tower 42 was the first skyscraper in the City of London when it was officially opened in June 1981 by Her Majesty the Queen, built to a design by architect Richard Seifert. Originally constructed for the National Westminster Bank which occupied Tower 42 between 1971 and 1979 - hence the 'NatWest Tower' name - seen from a bird's eye view, the top of the building looks like the NatWest logo. The tower's three facades - made of tinted glass and brushed stainless steel mullions - point with almost perfect alignment towards the three great markets: Spitalfields, Old Billingsgate and Smithfield. But Tower 42 is not just a landmark office block, there's a restaurant and a bar on the 24th and 42nd floors. From May 2014 Jason Atherton will open a new restaurant, provisionally named City Social, on the 24th floor where Gary Rhodes' Rhodes Twenty Four restaurant used to be. At the loftier 42nd floor, Vertigo 42 Champagne Bar presents an alternative dining option offering champagne and oysters as well as some fanatastic views across the city.