Skip to content

Spinnaker Tower marks 20 year milestone

Charlotte AndrewsSouth of England
News imageGetty Images Aerial night view of the illuminated Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, glowing in blue and red lights with reflections shimmering on the water and surrounding city buildings lit up in the background.Getty Images
The tower in Portsmouth was completed five years later than planned

The Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth is marking 20 years since its opening.

The Hampshire landmark opened on 18 October 2005, five years later than originally planned.

Initially pitched as a project to mark the millennium, it was hindered by political and financial problems, and construction did not start until 2001.

The tower has since welcomed more than five million visitors and become a familiar part of the city's skyline.

Standing at 170m (557ft) tall, the tower has 23-mile views across Portsmouth Harbour, the Solent, the South Downs and the Isle of Wight.

Its glass floor, which visitors can walk across, was once the largest in Europe and can hold a total weight of 288 stone - or two black rhinos.

News imageTourguide Josh Palmer stands in front of a large window, wearing a white crisp shirt with Spinnaker Tower branding and a name badg. The background is blurred, but a vast stretch of blue water can be seen, and Portsmouth Historic Docks is visible.
Tourguide Josh Palmer has worked at the tower for three years

Josh Palmer, a tour guide at the tower, said he had met visitors from as far away as Australia and South Africa.

Describing the viewing floor as the "wow window" of the tower, he said his favourite place to look at was the Historic Dockyard.

"I've got people who work in the dockyards in my family," he said.

"I think anyone in Portsmouth has a connection to the Royal Navy somehow - a lot of people in Portsmouth are very proud of their naval history."

But in the early days, the project faced controversy, delays and overspending.

Despite initial assurances that it would not cost the public a penny, taxpayers ultimately contributed £11m towards the tower's total £36m cost.

For many, the memory of the Spinnaker Tower's opening day is that of the exterior glass lift breaking, trapping Portsmouth City Council's project manager inside.

While he was safely rescued, the lift proved too costly to repair and never re-opened. It was dismantled in 2012.

News imagePaul Pycroft, a man with brown hair and glasses wearing a crisp white shirt and a blue name badge, stands against the background of a blue sky and the Spinnaker Tower, a tall white landmark shaped like a sail.
Receptionist Paul Pycroft remembers the day the tower opened

And plans to paint the tower red and white as part of a sponsorship deal with airline Emirates were scrapped after a petition signed by 10,000 angry Portsmouth football fans.

Red and white are the colours of the city's rival team, Southampton FC.

More than 100 litres of red paint, which had already been bought, was donated to local causes instead.

Paul Pycroft is one of two employees who have worked for the Spinnaker Tower since it opened.

"It was very busy for the first few weeks with queues right around the base of the tower," he said.

"There was a sheer amount of happiness and hurrah that we were open."

You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.