Time Travel London: Watkin's Folly Towers Over Wembley

M@
By M@ Last edited 97 months ago

Last Updated 17 October 2016

Time Travel London: Watkin's Folly Towers Over Wembley

Did you know that London almost had its own, taller version of the Eiffel Tower? The structure that would become known as Watkin's Folly began to rise in 1892, under the direction of railway magnate Sir Edward Watkin.

Had it reached its full height of 358 metres, the tower would have been the tallest man-made structure in the world, and would today surpass the 312 metre Shard.

Alas, it was not to be. After hitting financial difficulties, the tower stalled at 47 metres and was demolished in 1907. Wembley stadium was later built on the site.

Mike Paterson of London Historians here imagines an alternative reality, in which the tower was completed alongside the modern stadium.

This is part of our series of images merging different periods in London's history.