If you could own one building in London which would it be? We put that question to our readers (with the proviso, you cannot knock said building down) — and here's what you came back to us with.
Classic wish list
"Big Ben." - Татьяна
"The Tate Modern so I could have at least one room for me and my friends to have their art up in London!" - Amanda
"St Paul's Cathedral." - Julie
"The Tower of London." - Nikki [Ed's note: well people do still live there]
"Tower Bridge 😍" - Wendy
"A small one-bedroom flat directly opposite the British Museum" - Jo [Ed's note: very humble of you not to take the whole British Museum, Jo]
"British Museum." - Boris
Culture vultures
"Royal Albert Hall so I could watch as many shows as I wanted." - Sally
"The Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park. Turn it back into a music venue." - Paul
"Southbank Centre, incl RFH." - Josephine [Ed's note: yep that's included]
"St Paul's Studios, the artists Houses on Talgarth Road" - Nancy
"48 Doughty Street." - Eric [Ed's note: that'll be the former home of Charles Dickens]
"Royal Academy of Music." - Fumi
"Anything in Barbican!" - Marcin
"Wellcome Collection. Please and thank you." - Stacey
"Wilton's Music Hall." - Michael
"I would happily live in the National Theatre." - Clive
"Natural History Museum." - Dean
"I'd consider the British Library plus its contents!" - Ottoline [Ed's note: we'll throw 'em in]
"Sir John Soane's Museum." - Cream Ink
"Victoria and Albert museum, a flat over looking the garden. Being able to explore all the corridors at will.
Skating round it after hours, in various wheeled accessories, but not the statue bit." - Lisa [Ed's note: what's wrong with the sculpture bit — or do you mean you'd be in danger of knocking them over?!]
Posh house please
"Ham House." - James
"Clarence House." - Viviana
"Keats House." - Joanne
"Aspley House. Who wouldn’t want the address 'No. 1 London'? - Eric
"Sutton House." - Trevor
"Spencer House." - Sarah
"Kenwood House." - Nico
"Leighton House." - Lizzie
"Senate House." - URSG
"Somerset House." - Lisa
Regal eagles
"Kensington Palace." - Caroline
"Hampton Court Palace." - Julie
"Queen's House Greenwich, partly because it’d save me trying to find a parking space near the office..." - Debbie
"Buckingham Palace. I'd Airbnb it." - Steve
Art deco dream
"Freemasons' Hall , Great Queen Street." - Naomi
"Battersea Power Station. Coolest building in London." - Jilly
"The Hoover Building." - Charlotte
Have I got views for you
"Something atop of one of the big hills, either the top of Greenwich Park (perhaps even the observatory) or Hampstead Hill for the views. Or alternatively one of the Penthouses in the Barbican." - Ben [Ed's note: make your mind up, Ben!]
"Centre Point. The views!" - Dez
"Trellick Tower." - Em
"Horizon 22, amazing views. Or actually the floor below so everyone could still enjoy this wonderful place." - Amanda [Ed's note: very thoughtful of you! Right, everyone round to Amanda's place!]
"Post Office Tower — have the revolving restaurant as my big, great view" - Tony [Ed's note: we might just be getting that revolving restaurant back, Tony]
"The Gherkin - easy question." - Eeva
"A flat overlooking Greenwich Park would be nice…" - Rachel
"Crystal Palace Transmitter. Short commute as I work there, rent from customers, underground lair, good car parking, lovely park on the door step and a great view. What's not to like?" - Paul [Ed's note: decent phone signal too?]
"Either The Shard or The Walkie-Talkie building." - Gareth [Ed's note: Because you couldn't make your mind up we're going to give you a one bed flat in Barking]
Famous addresses
"221B Baker Street!" - Кирилл
"55 Tufton Street, once its been fumigated." - Adam [Ed's note: what could you possibly mean...]
"10 Downing Street. I’d run the country better than the current k*** that is in there!" - Mark
Well, if you're sure...
"Loftus Road Stadium." - Jamie
"The loos on Hampstead Heath." - NW3 Girl
Didn't think of that one
"The Twinings shop." - Guy
"MI5 building — all the secrets it holds." - Diane
"7 Lothbury. It's such an amazing looking building." - Valary [Ed's note: Valary, you are not wrong]
"Fabric (the nightclub)" - Bobby
"Konk Studios." - Jane
"The Scala!" - Birgit
"Abbey Mills Pumping Station, if it came with the Bazalgette archive..." - Jackie [Ed's note: you're in luck Jackie — it does!]
"Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. Have many happy memories of there from my surgeries and numerous appointments." - Michael
"I would be happy with the Thatched House Lodge." - Hajnalka
"The Necropolis railway building." - Sideways [Ed's note: You're in luck there — at time of writing, that one is actually up for sale]
"The old stained glass factory on Engel Street." - Ruth
"Great Arthur House on the Golden Lane estate." - Graham
"Ismaili Centre, South Ken. Exquisite detailing!" - Mel
"Goldsmiths' Hall" - Lynn
"The Texas Legation." - David
"Ealing Town Hall... space for everything at last!" - Tracey
"Admiralty Arch." - David [Ed's note: you will at least be able to stay there soon]
"29 Melbury Road." - Phil [Ed's note: aka the Tower House]
Not quite in the spirit of the game
"Any townhouse in Mayfair which I could sell for millions and then move to Dublin." - Chris [Ed's note: DISALLOWED!]
"Emirates Stadium. London without Arsenal would be lovely!" - Joe [Ed's note: someone's found a loophole in our no demolition rule]
"Tottenham's stadium - and then close it to the public." - Mark [Ed's note: right back atcha, Joe]
"Parliament. I would not knock it down, I would turn it into the circus it really is." - Lisa [Ed's note: oi Lisa, no politics!]
"The Bank of England and just keep going to the vault whenever I need money!" - Yuko [Ed's note: the building that pays your mortgage and then some...]
"Camden Lock and Dingwalls as a business and one of the big cream houses by Regent's Park to live in." - Lizzy [Ed's note: greedy...]
Treating the place like a hotel
"Claridge's. Leave the staff... I'm happy!" - Ottoline
"The Savoy Hotel. It's handy for the shops an' that." - Foxton
"Charing Cross Hotel!" - Nancy
"Strand Palace Hotel, spent so much happy time there, and so central for everything." - Meryl
Shopaholics' delight
"Harrods. Would keep the toilets and restaurants." - Anna
"Fortnum & Masons" - Robert
"Liberty department store. So beautiful." - Fiona
Buildings of booze
"Skehan's pub." - Edward
"Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese." - Michael
"Any pub. Not fussy which one. Any one will do." - Joel
"Griffin Brewery." - Zsofia
Well connected
"City Thameslink station. That area definitely feels like home." - Michelle
"St Pancras station." - Dorothy [Ed's note: oh boy, and those links to Paris too!]
"St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel" - Shannon [Ed's note: you'll have to ask Dorothy first]
So selfless
"The Roundhouse. Strip out the bling and put it back similar to how it was in the '70s, but slightly cleaner and safer!" - Peter
"Whitechapel Bell Foundry — as no-one seems to be taking responsibility for its upkeep." - David
"Banqueting House, and install a Civil War museum." - Steve
"The Post Office Tower for a friend who adores it." - Jenny [Ed's note: it's not Tony from earlier on is it?]
Can't have it, that's what I'm having (it's in the small print that Londonist gets 5 buildings)
"Bibendum." - Jennifer
"The OXO Tower please." - José
"The Daily Express building in Fleet Street...an art deco gem!" - Gary [Ed's note: I'm afraid you're going to have to fight me for this Gary...]
"55 Broadway." - Gavin
"Rivoli Ballroom in Brockley. With a good steam cleaner!!" - Irmani
All I want is a room somewhere
"One of the cottages on Hopton Street in Southwark." - Michelle
"One of the houses on Strand-on-the-Green." - Olga
"The house on the right next to The Globe Theatre." - Runa
"18 Folgate Street." - Sonya
"A flat (or two) in Alexandra and Ainsworth Estate." - Leo. [Ed's note: Leo you can have ONE flat — so choose widely]
"Just a tiny flat in north London would do me." - Mel
"Our old terraced house in Barnes." - Lisa
"A house in Holly Village off Swain's Lane." - Martin
"My own home — the mortgage is killing me." - Pete [Ed's note: yes, thanks for that, Liz Truss]
"Literally any would do, so long as it has windows." - Nedd
"This is particularly triggering for someone who'll never be able to afford to buy a home in London 😢" - Jim
