Spinnaker Tower (Portsmouth)
The Spinnaker Tower is an iconic structure on the waterfront at Portsmouth in Hampshire.
It is situated in the Gunwharf Quays shopping complex, not far from the Royal Dockyard.
The design is based on a sail, and echoes Portsmouth's long maritime history. It is without a doubt one of the most admired structures of the 21st century.
The tower soars 170 metres above Portsmouth Harbour, and can of course be seen for many miles.
The highest deck, known as "The Crow's Nest", is at an altitude of 110 metres, and is open to the elements.
On View Deck 2, at 105 metres, in addition to viewing the harbour as it is today, the "time telescopes" tell the history of the harbour.
And on View Deck 1, at 100 metres, there are full height glass walls on three sides.
There is a high speed internal lift, which takes visitors to the View Decks in 30 seconds, and the panoramic external glass lift glides to the top in 90 seconds.