What Was It Like, Dining In The Post Office Tower?

By Zoe Craig Last edited 15 months ago
What Was It Like, Dining In The Post Office Tower?

Ever wished you could step back in time and visit Top of the Tower, the restaurant at the top of the Post Office Tower?

Here's a candid glimpse of what it might've been like, courtesy of a Look At Life film from 1966.

The film explores a 1960s trend for eating in towers, taking a brief tour to Berlin, Rotterdam and Paris.

But stick with it because 2.25 minutes in, we're back in London, heading up to the 35th floor for a cocktail before stepping down to the 34th for the Top of the Tower restaurant.

These were exciting times, back when the Post Office Tower was the tallest building in Britain.

It seems almost impossible today, but back then, the restaurant served 800 lunches and 1,300 dinners each week.

Chefs in the kitchen on the 36th floor of the Post Office Tower.

And all the while, the restaurant rotates, making a complete revolution every 23 minutes, giving diners something to distract them from the fact that their waiters no longer have any idea where their particular table has gone.

A nattily-hatted lift operator at the Post Office Tower.

We're struck by the phenomenal detail of this little 9-minute film: as well as seeing the restaurant, you can peek into the storage rooms in the basement, see the chefs in the kitchen, the window cleaners (who use the rotating glass to their advantage) lift operators, and even the chaps looking after the motor that makes the thing rotate.

The Top of the Tower restaurant was open from 1966 to 1980, when it was closed to the public for security reasons.

Since then, it's been used for special events, such as Children in Need.

Last Updated 16 December 2022