View source for Millbank Tower

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}}
{{Short description|Skyscraper in London, England}}
{{Infobox building
|name               = Millbank Tower
|image              = Millbank Tower, Westminster, London, 24Apr04.jpg
|image_size         = 240px
|caption            = Millbank Tower 
|completion_date    = 1963
| highest_prev      = [[CIS Tower]]
| highest_next      = [[BT Tower]]
| highest_start     = 1963
| highest_end       = 1964
| highest_region    = the [[United Kingdom]]
|status             = Complete
|location           = [[Westminster]]<br />[[London]], {{postcode|SW|1}}<br />England
|coordinates        = {{coord|51|29|32.0|N|0|07|33.5|W|region:GB|display=inline,title}}
|roof               = {{convert|118|m|ft|0}}
|building_type      = Office
|architect          = Ronald Ward & Partners
|main_contractor    = [[Mowlem|John Mowlem & Co.]]
|owner              = [[David and Simon Reuben]]
|elevator_count     = 11:<br />4&nbsp;×&nbsp;low rise Otis 411 Elevonics<br />5&nbsp;×&nbsp;high rise Otis 411 Elevonics<br />1&nbsp;×&nbsp;Otis 411 fire/goods all floors<br />1&nbsp;×&nbsp;Otis 10UCL Ground to Basement Goods 
  {{Designation list
  | embed = yes
  | designation1 = Grade II Listed Building
  | designation1_offname = Millbank Tower
  | designation1_type =
  | designation1_criteria =
  | designation1_date = 24 November 1995
  | delisted1_date = 
  | designation1_partof =
  | designation1_number = {{NHLE|num=1242617|short=yes}}
  }}
}}

'''Millbank Tower''' is a {{convert|119|m|ft|0|adj=mid|-high}} [[skyscraper]] in the [[City of Westminster]] at [[Millbank]], by the [[River Thames]] in [[London]], England. The tower was constructed in 1963, and has been home to many high-profile political organisations, including the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] and [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] parties, and the [[United Nations]].

==History==
The tower was constructed in 1963 for [[Vickers-Armstrongs|Vickers]] and was therefore originally known as '''Vickers House''' or the '''Vickers Tower'''. It was designed by Ronald Ward and Partners and built by [[Mowlem|John Mowlem & Co]].<ref>Mowlem 1822 - 1972, p.7</ref> It is a landmark on the London skyline, standing beside the River Thames, half a mile upstream from the [[Palace of Westminster]]. The tower has been owned by [[David and Simon Reuben]] since 2002,<ref>[http://blogs.ft.com/westminster/2010/11/who-owns-millbank-tower/ Who owns Millbank Tower?] - ''Financial Times'', 10 November 2010</ref> while still being managed by its former owner [[Tishman Speyer Properties]]. It is a Grade II [[Listed building|listed]] building. Until the [[BT Tower]]'s completion in 1964, Millbank Tower was the tallest building in the United Kingdom. The 2003 edition of the [[Nikolaus Pevsner|Pevsner]] architectural guide says that the Millbank Tower is "one of the few London office towers to have won affection", and contrasts it with the "boxy structure" of the [[Shell Tower]] at [[London Waterloo railway station|Waterloo]].

In 2010, the building was surrounded and occupied by thousands of student protesters who spontaneously branched off from a demonstration called by the [[National Union of Students (United Kingdom)|National Union of Students]], which was campaigning against the [[Cameron–Clegg coalition|Coalition government's]] increase of tuition fees; Millbank was the location of [[Conservative Campaign Headquarters]] at the time. The demonstration and occupation helped spawn [[2010 United Kingdom student protests|further student protests that year]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tribunemag.co.uk/2020/11/the-millbank-revolt-10-years-on |title=The Millbank Revolt, 10 Years On |last=Myers |first=Matt |date=10 November 2020 |website=[[Tribune (magazine)|Tribune]] |access-date=17 November 2020}}</ref>

==Occupants==
The Millbank Tower has been home to many high-profile political and other organisations. From 1994 to 2002 the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] rented two floors in the base at the south of the site, for use as a general election campaign centre. Labour ran its [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 General Election]] campaign from these offices; after the election, the party vacated its headquarters at [[John Smith House (Southwark)|John Smith House]], [[Walworth Road]] SE17, to move to Millbank. Five years later, the £1 million per annum rent forced the party to vacate the tower and take out a mortgage of £5.5 million to relocate to 16–18 Old Queen Street, overlooking [[St James's Park]], which had 11,200 square feet of open plan premises.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2002/mar/19/labour.uk|title=Labour announces new HQ location|work=[[The Guardian]] newspaper|date=19 March 2002|access-date=6 December 2016}}</ref>

The [[United Nations]] also had offices in the tower, but moved out in June 2003, also citing high rents. Other public bodies have continued to occupy the building, including the [[Central Statistical Office (United Kingdom)|Central Statistical Office]], the predecessor of the [[Office for National Statistics]]; the [[Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman]]; the Local Government Ombudsman; the [[UK India Business Council]]; and the [[Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Justice]] Records Management Service.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/infoabout/information_for_researchers/index.htm |title=About HM Courts & Tribunals Service |publisher=Hmcourts-service.gov.uk |date=1 April 2011 |access-date=6 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606104515/http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/infoabout/information_for_researchers/index.htm |archive-date=6 June 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Between 2006 and 2014, the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] based its [[Conservative Campaign Headquarters|campaign headquarters]] at 30 Millbank, in the same complex as Millbank Tower.

Other floors in the tower are or have been occupied by organisations and commercial companies, including the [[Environment Agency]], the [[World Bank]] (which moved out in early 2022),<ref>to 1 Tudor Street, London EC4; [https://www.propertyweek.com/legal-and-professional/how-to-design-offices-to-suit-flexible-and-hybrid-working/5118810.article PropertyWeek.com: ''How to design offices to suit flexible and hybrid working'', Matthew Driscoll, 10 Feb 2022]</ref> [[Altitude 360]] London, foreign exchange specialists World First, the [[Specialist Schools and Academies Trust]], the [[UK India Business Council]], the London office of [[Medopad]], [[Canonical (company)|Canonical Ltd]], the [[Audit Commission (United Kingdom)|Audit Commission]], event caterers Salt and Pepper, Private Food Design, the firm Lewis PR, the London office of the [[Open Society Foundations]], the [[Local Government Boundary Commission for England]], [[XLN Telecom Ltd|XLN Telecom]] and [[Leave.EU]].

The building also housed the studios for [[RT UK]] prior to its closure in 2022.

From April 2018, the office of the now-defunct [[People's Vote]] campaign was based in the tower.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2018/05/inside-headquarters-britain-s-anti-brexit-brigade|title=Inside the headquarters of Britain's anti-Brexit brigade |date=30 May 2018}}</ref> The political party [[Reform UK]] has been headquartered in the tower since February 2025.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Quinn |first=Ben |last2=Mason |first2=Rowena |date=2025-02-15 |title=‘Guess who’s back?’: the inside story of Nigel Farage’s quest for power |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/feb/15/reform-uk-inside-story-of-nigel-farage-quest-for-power |access-date=2025-09-17 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

==Future==
In April 2016, the Reuben brothers were granted permission by [[Westminster City Council]] to redevelop the building, notwithstanding its Grade II Listed status.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ramesh|first1=Randeep|last2=Booth|first2=Robert|title=Goldsmith received £46,000 linked to luxury flat developers|journal=[[The Guardian]]|date=4 May 2016|page=12|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/may/03/luxury-flat-developers-reuben-linked-to-46000-of-donations-to-zac-goldsmith|access-date=4 May 2016|quote=…despite the scheme proposing the demolition of a Grade II listed building – considered a gem of modernist architecture.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Our Vision|url=http://millbanktowerproposals.co.uk/our-vision|publisher=[[John McAslan|JAN & Associates]]|access-date=4 May 2016}}</ref> The resulting development will comprise 207 high-end apartments, a 5-star hotel with 150 rooms, a gym, spa and swimming pool, and a new cultural centre. The redevelopment, which includes a plan for an additional three storeys on the main tower is set to break ground in 2024 once the existing tenancies cease.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reuben Brothers - Real Estate |date=7 April 2024 |title=Millbank Tower |url=https://www.reubenbrothers.com/millbank-tower-2/ |access-date=7 April 2024 |website=Reuben Brothers}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Millbank Tower Base - Millbank - Westminster - London - 240404.jpg|Millbank Tower base
File:Millbank Tower, Thames House, Parliament.JPG|Millbank Tower from Vauxhall, with [[Thames House]] and the [[Palace of Westminster]] visible in the background
File:Millbank Tower - Millbank - Westminster - London - 240404.jpg|View of the Millbank Tower from Vauxhall bridge
File:Millbank Tower from Millbank.jpg|Millbank Tower from Millbank
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{start box}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{succession box
| before=[[CIS Tower]]
| title=[[List of tallest buildings in the United Kingdom|Tallest Building in the United Kingdom]]
| years=1963&mdash;1967<br /><small>118m</small>
| after=[[BT Tower|Post Office Tower]]
}}
{{succession box
| before=[[Battersea Power Station]]
| title=[[List of tallest buildings in London|Tallest building in London]]
| years=1963—1967<br /><small>118m</small>
| after=[[BT Tower|Post Office Tower]]
}}
{{end box}}

{{Buildings in the United Kingdom timeline}}
{{London landmarks}}

[[Category:Office buildings completed in 1963]]
[[Category:Skyscrapers in the City of Westminster]]
[[Category:Headquarters of political parties in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:David and Simon Reuben]]
[[Category:Television studios in London]]
[[Category:Millbank]]
[[Category:Grade II listed buildings in the City of Westminster]]
[[Category:Skyscraper hotels in London]]
[[Category:Skyscraper office buildings in London]]
[[Category:Residential skyscrapers in London]]
[[Category:Grade II listed office buildings]]
[[Category:Labour Party (UK) facilities]]
[[Category:Grade II listed hotels in London]]