Butlins and The Post Office Tower
The Post Office Tower, now called the BT Tower, stands in London's West End. It was built as a communications facility for transmitting radio and microwave signals. Construction began in 1961, and the tower opened five years later at a cost of £2.5 million. Rising to 188 metres, it was Britain's tallest building until the NatWest Tower surpassed it in 1981. The tower also featured a public viewing platform and, immediately above it on the 36th floor, a revolving restaurant. Butlins leased and operated the restaurant from the outset, naming it the 'topofthetower'. Billy Butlin and Tony Benn officially opened the tower on May 16th 1966. A bomb exploded in 1971, after which the viewing platform was closed to the public. The restaurant continued operating under Butlins' management until the lease expired in 1980.