An aerial view of the BT Tower in London. Photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

It's obvious to anyone who looks at London's skyline that The Shard is now the tallest structure in the capital, but what building did it surpass and which other landmarks have been the highest down the years?

The Top 10 of London by Alexander Ash, published by Hamlyn

Excluding antennas and chimneys, the first building in London to be taller than S t Pauls Cathedral was the BT Tower, completed in 1964.

Despite being one of the most visible buildings in London, the Official Secrets Act meant that it was unmarked on any maps of London until the mid-1990s.

The BT Tower does not feature on this list of the 10 structures to have been tallest in London since the Crystal Palace Transmitter was higher.

Latest structures to be the tallest in London:

1. Shard London Bridge, 310m, 1,016ft, period of 2010-;

2. One Canada Square, 235m, 771ft, 1991-2010

3. Crystal Palace Transmitter, 219m, 720ft, 1950-1991

4. Battersea Power Station, 113m, 370ft, 1939-1950

5. St Pauls Cathedral, 111m, 365ft, 1710-1939

6. St Mary-le-Bow, 72m, 236ft, 1683-1710

7. The Monument, 62m, 202ft, 1677-1683

8. Southwark Cathedral, 50m, 163ft, 1666-1677

9. Old St Pauls Cathedral, 150m, 493ft, 1310-1666

10. White Tower, 27m, 90ft, 1098-1310

Source: Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat

This list is featured in The Top 10 of London, a book by Alexander Ash, published by Hamlyn, £10 www.octopusbooks.co.uk