Also known as the “Millennium Tower”, the £35.6 million building was approved in September 1995 in a bid to create an educational hub for the community.
Work commenced in November 2001 and after four years, the tower opened on October 18, 2005.
On the opening day, the tower welcomed over 1,000 guests in the first three hours, and in the two decades it has been open, it has seen more than 5 million visitors walk through the doors.
To celebrate 20 years of the Spinnaker Tower, we have put together a gallery looking at the construction of the iconic building:
1. Spinnaker Tower
Steel fabrications being brought in by barge and crane, as the Spinnaker tower starts to rise from its foundations at Gunwharf Quays, Old Portsmouth. Picture: Michael Scaddan | Michael Scaddan
3. Spinnaker Tower
Construction for the Millennium Tower at Gunwharf Quays is started with the dredging of the seabed. | The News
4. Spinnaker Tower
The cruciform in Portsmouth but needs great care as it goes under the railway bridge in Anglesea Road to turn into Park Road. Picture: Malcolm Wells | Malcolm Wells