30 St Mary Axe nearly oblivious to the tower's existence until directly underneath it. The building was constructed by Skanska, completed in December 2003 and opened on 28 April 2004. The primary occupant of the building is Swiss Re, a global reinsurance company, which had the building commissioned as the head office for its UK operation. The tower is thus sometimes known as the Swiss Re Building, although this name has never been official and has more recently fallen out of favour, since the company's main headquarters is in Zurich and the Gherkin name has become more popular. The building uses energy-saving methods which
St Mary the Virgin, Monken Hadley St Mary the Virgin, Monken Hadley St Mary the Virgin is the parish church of Monken Hadley. It is located in the Diocese of London. The church was rebuilt in its present form in 1494 (the date being carved in stone over the west door) possibly after incurring damage during the battle of Barnet in 1471. A church is believed to have stood on the site for over 800 years. The present building is in the Perpendicular style, and included two side chapels (in transepts) dedicated to St Anne and St Catherine. The building was heavily renovated by the architect