If you’re looking for a good, free view over London, then this is the view from the Sky Gardens, on the top of 20 Fenchurch Street (known colloquially as the walkie – talkie, or also as ‘that ugly building’).

It’s free to go up, however you have to book on their website in advance, which is a bit annoying as this is London after all and you never know what the weather will be like.

Luckily for me I booked a nice clear day and the views were excellent.

There are places for food and drink up there although prices, as you’d expect, are quite high. 

The Walkie-talkie building is a former winner of the carbuncle cup, an award given annually for the ugliest new building in the UK, named after Prince Charles’ infamous quote likening modern architecture to a carbuncle.

How ugly is this building? Actually I’ve seen far worse