New Brighton Tower
New Brighton Tower was a lattice-steel observation tower at New Brighton on the Wirral Peninsula in England. The 1,000 tonne tower, which stood at 567 feet (173 m) high, became the tallest building in Great Britain when it opened in 1900. It was dismantled only 21 years after its completion.
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[edit] Construction
Work began on the tower on 22 June 1896, two years after the Eiffel Tower-inspired Blackpool tower was opened in Lancashire. It had a more elaborate octagonal cross-sectional design, surpassing the square plan used at the Blackpool Tower. However like at Blackpool, it was built with a palace-style ballroom beneath its superstructure.
[edit] History
The New Brighton tower, as a visitor attraction, had a short chequered existence. After six workmen were killed and another seriously injured during its construction, a young man jumped to his death from its balcony shortly after the tower's opening. In 1914, it was closed to the public following the outbreak of the First World War. With closure, lack of maintenance caused the steel superstructure to rust. The tower was eventually taken down between 1919 and 1921.
Despite the tower's removal, its ballroom continued to be used for almost the next 50 years. Many famous acts visited the New Brighton venue including Little Richard [1] and The Beatles [2]. In 1969, the building was destroyed by fire.
In the 1970s, the area where New Brighton Tower once stood was redeveloped as River View Park.
[edit] See also
- List of towers
- Watkins' Tower - a short-lived London Tower.
[edit] References
- ^ Liverpool Echo. "Little Richard's the only big-name draw". Trinity Mirror North West and North Wales Limited. http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/entertainment/previewsandreviews/tm_objectid=15460312&method=full&siteid=50061&headline=little-richard-s-the-only-big-name-draw-name_page.html. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
- ^ National Museums Liverpool. "Poster for a Beatles concert at New Brighton Tower, 1963". National Museums Liverpool. http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/online/exhibitions/beatles/promotional/new_brighton_poster.aspx. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
[edit] External links
- New Brighton History Site: New Brighton Tower
- Little Richard & The Beatles at New Brighton Tower, October 1962
- New Brighton Tower at Structurae
Coordinates: 53°26′12.37″N 3°2′11.03″W / 53.4367694°N 3.0363972°W
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