The Shard's progress – in pictures

15 Apr 2012: the Shard nears completion Photograph: Stephen Lock/Corbis

April 2012: the Shard, seen from inside the Tower of London. Reports have suggested that Unesco could strip the 11th-century Tower of its status as a world heritage site because of the Shard's impact on its panorama
Photograph: Paul Simon for the Observer

April 2012: the moon rises behind the recently top of the Shard Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA

March 2012: the top of the tower disappears into cloud Photograph: Andy Lauwers/Rex Features

A builder at work on the 66th floor of the Shard. HMS Belfast is visible on the river Thames below, the Tower of London on the north bank, and Tower bridge. In the distance are the tall blocks of Canary Wharf
Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

December 2011:the steel framework is almost complete
Photograph: Graham Turner/The Guardian

The skyscraper building under construction and building site scaffolding in September, 2011 Photograph: Paul Brown / Rex Features/Rex Features

July 2011: An aerial view taken on 26 July Photograph: Tom Shaw/Getty Images

May 2011: The Shard towers over the recently completed More London riverside development by London City Hall on the South Bank of the River Thames Photograph: Tom Stoddart/Getty Images

February 2011: Office workers walk through the London Place business district with the Shard building seen reflected in the background Photograph: Toby Melville/REUTERS

January 2011: St Paul's Cathedral has dominated London's skyline for more than 200 years. However, as this picture shows, it is already being dwarfed in terms of size by the Shard Photograph: Lewis Whyld/PA

November 2010: The Shard is now the tallest building in London. Even in its incomplete state it is already dominating London's skyline Photograph: David Levene/David Levene

October 2010: When the Shard is completed in 2012, the skyscraper will become the tallest building in the European Union at more than 300 metres high Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA

An artist’s impression of the finished ‘shard of crystal’ with its angled planes of glass Photograph: Public Domain