Model of the Post Office Tower, 2014

Model, scale 1:100, of the Post Office Tower (BT Tower), London, opened in 1964, made by Henry Milner, England, 2014.

This is a 1:100 scale model of the Post Office Tower (now BT Tower), an iconic and widely recognised communications tower in central London. The physical tower is 189 metres tall including aerial rigging and was the tallest building in London betwen 1956 and 1980, when the NatWest Tower was built. This 1:100 scale model is 1/100 the height of the original, that is 1.89 metres compared to the 189 metre height of the original.

BT Tower 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 . The restaurant and shop were both open to the public until 1981 when public access to the building was restricted for security reasons.