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The title of tallest building in the British Empire (later in the Commonwealth) has been contested since the late nineteenth century. In this era the nations of the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
possessed a large measure of cultural unity and naturally looked to each other for comparison and competition. This was evident in the displays at Queen Victoria's silver and diamond
jubilees
The Book of Jubilees, sometimes called Lesser Genesis (Leptogenesis), is an ancient Jewish religious work of 50 chapters (1,341 verses), considered canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church as well as Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews), where it is ...
and in the creation of the
British Empire Games
The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
in 1930 (later the
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
). A similar phenomenon occurred in the world of architecture and civics.
Local boosters in cities and regions across the Empire covered the title of "greatest", "biggest", "largest" or "best" in the Empire.
This boosterism was concentrated in Canada where desire to claim the title spawned a race between cities and builders between 1905 and 1931.
In general the boosters focused on commercial buildings, as claiming the title was part of marketing the building to potential renters (and the city to the wider world). They conveniently ignored much taller non-commercial buildings such as
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...
which stands and was consecrated in 1708, or
Victoria Tower
The Victoria Tower is a square tower at the south-west end of the Palace of Westminster in London, adjacent to Black Rod's Garden on the west and Old Palace Yard on the east. At , it is slightly taller than the Elizabeth Tower (formerly known ...
in the
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parli ...
which was built in 1855 and measures , and the
Blackpool Tower
Blackpool Tower is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. When it opened, Blackpool Tower was the List of tallest buildings in the British Empire and the Commonwealth, tallest man m ...
, built in 1894, and standing at 158 meters (518 feet) tall. The
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
slowly evolved out of the British Empire over decades, but the 1931
Statute of Westminster is often used as a dividing point. During the twentieth century the title was held primarily by Canadian buildings. Since the 1990s, however, Asian buildings have held the title.
Height restrictions have much to do with this list. Until the 1960s,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, the capital of the Empire, had especially strict height maxima to preserve the views of historic structures. Until the late 1920s, Montreal limited all buildings to a maximum of 10 stories, and it still limits buildings to less than the sea-level elevation of
Mont Royal
Mount Royal (french: link=no, Mont Royal, ) is a large intrusive rock hill or small mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The best-known hypothesis for the origin of the name Montreal is the hi ...
. Since 1989 Vancouver restricted buildings from blocking the
North Shore Mountains
The North Shore Mountains are a mountain range overlooking Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. Their southernmost peaks are visible from most areas in Vancouver and form a distinctive backdrop for the city.
The steep southern slopes of the No ...
, creating a practical upper limit of around 137 meters, until 1997 when seven sites were pre-selected for taller buildings as exceptions to the rule.
Singapore limits all buildings to below 280 meters because of the proximity of
Singapore Changi Airport
Singapore Changi Airport, commonly known as Changi Airport , is a major civilian international airport that serves Singapore, and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. As one of the world's busiest airports by international passen ...
.
The
International Commerce Centre
The International Commerce Centre (abbreviated ICC) is a 118- storey, commercial skyscraper completed in 2010 in West Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is a part of the Union Square project on top of Kowloon station. It was the 4th tallest building in ...
in Hong Kong is not included because it was built after Hong Kong left the Commonwealth.
The list also excludes Toronto's
CN Tower
The CN Tower (french: Tour CN) is a concrete communications and observation tower in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Built on the former Railway Lands, it was completed in 1976. Its name "CN" referred to Canadian National, the railway c ...
as there is debate as to whether it is technically a building, or merely a structure.
Tallest buildings in the Commonwealth
Tallest buildings in the Empire
{, class="wikitable sortable"
, -
! Years !! Building
(original name) !! City !! Region !! Country !! Height !! Floors !!class=unsortable, Image
, -
!1930-1931
,
Canadian Bank of Commerce Tower , , Toronto , , Ontario , , , , , , 34 , ,
, -
!1929-1930
,
Royal York Hotel , , Toronto , , Ontario , , , , , , 28 , ,
, -
!1928-1929
,
Royal Bank Building , , Montreal , , Quebec , , , , , , 22 , ,
, -
!1911-1928
,
Royal Liver Building
The Royal Liver Building is a Grade I listed building in Liverpool, England. It is located at the Pier Head and along with the neighbouring Cunard Building and Port of Liverpool Building is one of Liverpool's '' Three Graces'', which line the ...
, , Liverpool , , United Kingdom , , , , , , 13 , ,
, -
!1905-1910
,
Trader's Bank Building , , Toronto , , Ontario , , , , {{sort, {{convert, 54, m, ft, abbr=on , , 15 , ,
See also
*
List of tallest structures in the Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations dates back to the first half of the 20th century with the decolonization of the British Empire through increased self-governance of its territories. It was originally created as the ''British Commonwealth of Nations'' ...
Notes
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References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tallest Building In The British Empire
British Empire and the British Commonwealth
Tallest buildings
Tallest buildings