Wooden model of aerial galleries of London Post Office microwave tower, painted in 2 shades of grey, unsigned, United Kingdom, 1960-1965

This is a wooden model of London Post Office microwave Tower aerial galleries, now known as the BT Tower.

BT Tower is an iconic and widely recognised communications tower and is 189 metres tall including aerial rigging. It was opened by then Prime Minister Harold Wilson on 8 October 1965 and officially opened to the general public in May 1966 by then Postmaster General Tony Benn.

BT Tower had a revolving restaurant and cocktail bar called the ‘Top of the Tower’, where visitors received a certificate as proof of their visit (see Science Museum object no MS/2193/1/15). The tower also had a shop where souvenir models of the tower could be bought (see Science Museum object no 1999-839). The restaurant and shop were both open to the public until 1981 when public access to the building was restricted for security reasons.

BT Tower was the tallest building in the UK when it opened in 1965 and it remained the tallest building in London until 1980 when the Natwest Tower was built. It is an iconic building in central London and is widely visible throughout London.