Darwen Tower Top - Part 2

From the 11-Nov-2010 until 13-Jan-2012 Darwen Tower stood proud and solid but without a top. Some thought it looked naked or at least topless and some thought it looked better without. In these times of austerity with government and council cutbacks it seemed unlikely that money would be found to fund a replacement top and it might have to be replaced by public subscription. Fortunately a local engineering company, WEC, came to the rescue and offered to replace the top free of charge, it offered them a unique training project for their apprentices. Coincidently, because the tower was built to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, it was in the year of Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee, the new top was finished and the day for its replacement arrived.

First of all the Engineers arrived and the Police cordoned off the area.....

Cameras were loaded, prepared and got ready for the 'action'....

Then the crowds started to gather.....

Helicopter and ground camera locations were double checked.....

Tension mounted as the time grew closer.....

Then the all-important, pre-delivery,installation flyby.....

Then finally with everybody in position.....

"Over the moor so bleak and barren" a distant thunder could be heard as the long awaited top appeared (with the local paparazzi in hot pursuit, the lengths some people will go to ) .....

Then slowly but surely the top was positioned.....

and with an incredible display of precision flying the top was lowered on to the tower.....

The entire operation, from the first photo with the helicopter coming over the moor carrying the top, to the one below  took exactly 7 minutes 48 seconds.

Excitement over, the crowds started to make their way back down off the moor

Final Inspection

Job well done!

Late one afternoon, a few days later, I went back to get a photo of the finished article and this was the result.