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 Magdalen Bermondsey St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey is an Anglican church dedicated to St Mary Magdalen in Bermondsey in the London Borough of Southwark. The present building is late 17th century and is Grade II* listed. Its parish extends as far as the Thames (including the south tower of Tower Bridge, City Hall and part of London Bridge Station). The parishes of St Olave Tooley Street, St Luke Grange Road and St John Horsleydown have all been merged into it. A church of this dedication is first recorded on this site in 1290, serving lay workers at Bermondsey Abbey.