Two stamps were issued on 8th October 1965 to mark the opening of the Post Office Tower in London (SG679 and SG680) and the Post Office Tower is also illustrated on the 50p stamp issued for the "London 1980" International Stamp Exhibition (SG 1118)

Work on the Post Office Tower had begun in June 1961 and the topping out ceremony was held on 15th July 1964. The Post Office Tower was officially opened on 8th October 1965 by the Rt. Hon. Harold Wilson who was then Prime Minister making an inaugural telephone call to the Lord Mayor of Birmingham and unveiling a commemorative plaque. At the time the tower was the tallest building in Britain.

A feature of the Post Office Tower was the revolving restaurant on the 34th floor of the tower which was open to the public. The restaurant was leased to Butlins, better known for their holiday camps, and the revolving part could seat 120 diners. A complete revolution took 25 minutes.

On 31st October 1971 a terrorist bomb exploded on the 31st floor but no serious damage was done. This led to restrictions on public access to the tower, although the restaurant remained open until 1980 when the lease expired, after which the only visitors were those who were specially invited.20

In 1981, British Telecom was formed and in 1984 this became British Telecom plc, with shares being sold to the public. The tower became known as the BT Tower and in 1986 the original aerials on the outside of the tower were replaced by new high capacity modern dish antennae. This work was filmed and a television commercial was made showing the improvement to telecommunications.

In 1995 major refurbishment work was carried out and the opportunity was taken to renew the equipment that enabled the 34th floor to rotate. Work was also undertaken to refurbish the other floors and the main reception area and ground floors. With the dawn of the Millennium, further refurbishment work was carried out, including replacement of the express lifts and in 2000 new external cladding was installed. The Tower today remains one of London's most distinctive landmarks.

The two 1965 stamps were designed by Clive Abbot and depict the Post office Tower with Georgian buildings (3d) and the tower with "Nash" Terrace Regents Park (1/3d). This issue was the first where the name of the designed and printer appeared on the stamp. There are two versions of this set, one being "ordinary" and the other being "phosphor".

The 1980 stamp was designed by Jeffery Matthews with engraving by Geoffrey Holt and appeared in two varieties due to recutting of the die, these being Type I and Type II. The easiest way to distinguish between the two types is to look at the oval portrait of the Queen. If the very top horizontal line inside the oval is broken, slightly to the left of centre, this is a Type I stamp. In Type II stamps, this line is unbroken. Other clues are in the shading below the left side of Tower Bridge and on the ship under the bridge. There was also a miniature sheet (SG MS1119) produced which was sold at a premium in aid of the exhibition and this is always Type II. These stamps are available from Pennyred.