St Johns Beacon, better known in Liverpool as the Radio City Tower, is the slender concrete tower with a flying-saucer top that rises above St Johns Shopping Centre. Opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1969, it began life with a revolving restaurant at the top, and it is now being prepared for a new role as part of a Beatles attraction.
Radio City Tower at a glance
- Where: Houghton Street, on top of St Johns Shopping Centre in Liverpool city centre, close to Lime Street station.
- Built: 1965–1969; opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1969. It is about 138 metres tall, plus a 10-metre antenna.
- By: the Birmingham architect James A. Roberts, who also designed Birmingham's Rotunda.
- What it is today: a Grade II listed tower, empty since the radio stations left at the end of 2024 and planned to reopen in 2028 as part of the new home of The Beatles Story.
- Time needed: 10–15 minutes to look at it from the street; it is not open to visitors at the moment.
From revolving restaurant to radio studios
The tower was built as part of the 1960s rebuilding of central Liverpool, when the old St John's Market made way for a modern shopping precinct. Its shaft was cast in concrete using the slipform method, an early use of that technique for a tall building, and the glazed 'crow's nest' at the top held a revolving restaurant with a viewing platform on its roof. The restaurant closed in 1979 over safety concerns, reopened in reduced form in the early 1980s and was relaunched in 1983 with a space theme, but it did not last. For years the tower stood empty, and in 1994 blue neon rings were added to make it look less forlorn.
In 1999–2000 the local commercial station Radio City refitted the top as studios and offices, which is where the tower's popular name comes from. The revolving floor and its machinery were left in place but locked. A public viewing gallery opened in 2010 and closed in December 2024, when the broadcaster moved out after 24 years. Historic England listed the tower at Grade II in 2020, calling it the only structure of its type in England. In October 2026 Apple Corps announced that The Beatles Story will move to the former market site and the tower, with a Yellow Submarine-themed viewing area at the top, due to open in 2028.
What to look for
- The tapering concrete shaft: look closely at the lower part and you can see the texture of the board-marked concrete poured in one continuous slipform process.
- The crow's nest: the glazed top tilts outwards like a lantern. The lower glazed ring is where the revolving restaurant turned.
- The ribbed underside of the crow's nest, which fans out from the centre and is lit from below with lights that change colour.
- The antenna on the roof, which makes the tower the tallest structure in Liverpool if you count antennas.
- Its place on the skyline: from the waterfront or from St George's Plateau, see how it lines up with the city's other towers, from the Liver Building to the two cathedrals.
A curiosity: the zip wire that never was
In 2020 Liverpool City Council approved a plan for a permanent zip wire running from the tower down to the roof of the Central Library on William Brown Street. Many residents thought it would spoil one of the city's best-known views, library users worried about noise, and within weeks the mayor withdrew permission for the library roof, which ended the project.
Tips for your visit
- The tower is closed to the public until the new Beatles attraction opens, planned for 2028; check before you go if you want to go up.
- For the best view of the whole tower, stand on St George's Plateau or in St John's Gardens behind St George's Hall, where nothing blocks the shaft.
- Come after dark to see the coloured lights under the crow's nest, and pair the walk with the Victorian buildings of William Brown Street a few minutes away.
Nearby
- St George's Hall: the great neoclassical hall of concerts and law courts opposite Lime Street station, a few minutes' walk away.
- William Brown Street: the Central Library, the World Museum and the Walker Art Gallery side by side in a row of grand Victorian buildings.
- Royal Court Theatre: a 1930s Art Deco theatre on Roe Street, right at the foot of the tower.
- Williamson Square: a busy little square with the Playhouse theatre and plenty of cafés, just around the corner.
See Liverpool with World City Trail
Our Liverpool scavenger hunt turns the city centre into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 3 hours, with about 58 minutes of walking. The Radio City Tower is not one of the stops, but you will see it rising over the route, which includes St George's Hall and the World Museum. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish or Dutch.
For people who prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Liverpool.
Play the Liverpool scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Liverpool →
Play the outdoor escape game in Liverpool →
Facts checked in October 2026.