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THE TRANSMISSION GALLERY
BT TOWER
| Photos by Dan Glover, Mark West (and Robert Whittaker) | Page last updated: 2011-11-28 |
| The large dishes and horn antennas have been disused for some time (removal had already taken place at many other BT sites - see Zouches Farm). Although the main structure is Grade II Listed, this specifically excluded the antennas and permission was sought for them to be removed - largely on the grounds of safety since "wear and tear" was causing some components to work loose. These photos were taken towards the end of October. By then most of the dishes and a couple of the horns had already been removed. Relevant planning references (London Borough of Camden) are 2011/1084/L (listed building consent); 2011/1079/P (temporary scaffolding) and 2011/3574/L (historic building recording report). Direct links to some of the supporting documents are given below. |
| An overview of the work as it was nearing completion. The scaffolding near the base and at the very top is likely to be part of general building maintenance. |
| The work required the temporary installation of a scaffolding "fan" (to catch any falling debris) and platforms to assist in the "recovery" process. It's immediately obvious that most of the large dishes have been removed. Three of the five horns remained in position - but the one on the right is rigged for removal. Much of the supporting metalwork still remains in situ - presumably this will be dismantled in due course. |
| Moving a little further round we can see the crane. Part of the building's infrastructure this was refurbished for the project and can travel around the circumference of the tower. After lifting clear of its mountings each antenna is then lowered to the temporary platform, partially dismantled if necessary and then removed to ground via the main lifts. |
| I've stolen one of Robert's photos from November 2010 as a comparison. Although the perspective isn't quite the same (and the lighting and colour are hopelessly different) it's clear just how much has been removed. Roughly in the centre of Robert's photo is a dish which had already been "turned in" due to concerns that it might break up. The temporary "fan" obscures the view of the lowest level - but this seems to have been completely emptied. It's now clear that the design of the "Aerial Galleries" was influenced by the shape and planned position of the double-height horns. These were in place when the tower was completed in 1961. The small dishes, likely used for point-to-point linking by mobile phone networks, will remain. |
| Planning permission has also been given for an upgrade to the DAB antenna at the very top of the BT Tower. This was on a BBC list of new DAB sites for 2011 but as the above image shows, no change had been made by 24 October. |
| It's now 18 November and this photo from Mark West shows the last horn antenna rigged for removal. This is the "left hand" one of the pair shown in previous photos - the vacant mounting for the other is visible alongside. |
Design and Access Statement (including historical background)
Schedule of Work (including description of removal process)
Historic Building Recording Report
HBRR Photos (1)
HBRR Photos (2)
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