Talk:The View from The Shard

Is Wi-Fi access in this tourist attraction really newsworthy? Ridcully Jack (talk) 08:10, 24 May 2014 (UTC)
 * I wouldn't say it's "newsworthy" as such but it's a feature of the attraction so I kept it under a new amenities section. :) -- BZTMPS ★ ·  (talk?   contribs?)  16:44, 25 May 2014 (UTC)

James Episcou from Epping Forest, Essex who took the chance to be the first to propose to his girlfriend from the highest point in London.

I don't think making the first marriage proposal is something worthy of mentioning, by name, on a Wikipedia article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Originalthoughts (talk • contribs) 10:35, 10 October 2022 (UTC)

Height of the viewing platform.
Something is rather odd about the information about "The View from the Shard". One website gives a height of 288 m for the viewing platform and another gives a height of 800ft/244m. Both appear to be genuine, unlike the Guardian, which told the breathless viewer that the height of the public gallery was 309.6m above London while also telling us that the building was 309.6m high! . By contrast, the Telegraph says the viewing platform was 800ft/244m.

As the building is 309 metres high, it seems a little odd that the main viewing platform would be at 244m, more than 60 metres or 200 ft from the top. However, there are two viewing platforms, one on level 69 and the other on level 72. and that web page says that the open air platform is 288 metres high. You can see from this web page that the open viewing platform is quite different from the other viewing area which is pictured here.

So is there a 44 metre difference in height between the two viewing areas? The website doesn't say so directly. However, as the enclosed gallery is very high ceilinged room, that alone could account for at least some of the difference in height and this could explain why there are two figures given for the height of the viewing platform or platforms. Michael Glass (talk) 00:20, 20 May 2015 (UTC)


 * The source cited for the figure of 288m is a personal website (providing several opportunities to click through to their "recommended" private ticket selling site). 244m, not 288m, is given on the Shard's own website, as well as other mainstream sites, for the highest viewing point. Please do not restore that 288m figure without a consensus for it, and that will, presumably, require at least one reliable source to corroborate it and good reason to doubt the official figure. Timpace (talk) 06:25, 20 May 2015 (UTC)

The link you provided does not work. You might like to fix that up.Try this:  As for the height of 288 metres for the top viewing platform, this is also given in What's in That Tower. , but I cannot vouch for that site. I have no objection to the 244 metre height per se but this also has the same problem, because we cannot be sure if it is referring to the upper or the lower viewing platform. This site gives 244.3m for the "Observatory" but that seems to be more appropriate for the lower viewing platform because it has aids for patrons to get a closer look at the very many landmarks. Your choice of web page appears to be a press release but it certainly gives no clue whether it is talking about the upper or the lower viewing areas. Michael Glass (talk) 14:11, 20 May 2015 (UTC) At least with the source I quoted it made it clear which viewing platform it was talking about.Michael Glass (talk) 14:23, 20 May 2015 (UTC) On page 7 of the document it says, "The View from The Shard starts at level 00 and takes people up to level 72, the highest habitable level of The Shard, 244m (800ft) high." This is the citation I have added to the article. Michael Glass (talk) 11:26, 21 May 2015 (UTC)

Having done more research I have found the following: Therefore, unless there is evidence to show that the 244 (or 244.3) metre figure refers specifically to the open area and not to the main observation area, we are not in a position to claim that it does.Therefore I have removed the reference to height pending information that links it specifically to the open viewing platform. Michael Glass (talk) 23:47, 20 May 2015 (UTC)
 * Yes, the website that I quoted was a private one as can be seen from this link However, the person who wrote it obviously has a close association with the building.
 * A fox was captured in The Shard during its construction. The article says that it was 288 metres up and it was on the 72nd floor (That is, of course, the floor where the open platform is.)
 * The Skyscraper Center gives the height of the "Observatory" as 244.3 m or 802 ft. It also says that the building is "occupied" up to 244.3m. This description seems to fit better with the closed viewing area on level 69 than the open area on level 72.
 * You have produced evidence to show that the observation level was 244 metres above ground level, but you haven't produced evidence to show which of the two levels this figure refers to.
 * The link works for me. Level 72 is verifiably the highest habitable floor and it is widely stated that the highest viewing level is 800ft/244m high. Why would they be giving the height of other than level 72? Here is another page on the official Shard website: . As I believe the text you removed is verifiable I will reinstate it. Please do not remove it again without consensus. Timpace (talk) 06:22, 21 May 2015 (UTC)

Your second citation is immaterial as to the actual height of the top viewing platform. Your first quotation gives the height of 244 metres as a general description of the whole area "From floors 68-72, and 244m above the city, The View from The Shard offers visitors....." It would be better to use this citation to refer to the whole area and not just to the 72nd floor. I will see if I can work out a way of doing it. I have also added a convert template from the actual figures given. This puts the metres first. I believe that this is justified because it is in line with MOSNUM and it is also in line with the other article on [The Shard]. Michael Glass (talk) 07:23, 21 May 2015 (UTC)

I have now found an official source which says that Level 72 is 244 metres above ground level. It is in "The View from the Shard Media Briefing." which says, "For the most profound experience, guests can go higher to the viewing gallery at Level 72 (800ft/244m)." That is the information that settles the issue. Michael Glass The reference in the media briefing goes to page 7. (talk) 10:55, 21 May 2015 (UTC)


 * You forgot to add the url for your additional source. I found this one: which, if it's the one you meant, you might want to add. From what I see in my find and in your quote above it gives the height as 800ft/244m and NOT the 244m (801ft) that you changed the text too. I understand that 244m converts mathematically to to 801ft, but it is also true that 800ft converts mathematically to 244m. So as the latter seems a better match, and as we have no good reason to assume otherwise, I've restored the original figures so as not to deviate from the official dimensions. Timpace (talk) 06:17, 22 May 2015 (UTC)

The document you quoted gives the figures in both directions. It starts off with 244m coming first and the second quotation puts 800ft first. MOSNUM says that we should give the units in which the building was created, which would mean that metres should come first.Michael Glass (talk) 12:00, 22 May 2015 (UTC)