New Brighton Tower

1899. Arrangement of lifts. From The Engineer 1899/01/06

1899. The Engineer 1899/01/06

February 1901. New Brighton Tower.

New Brighton Tower was a steel lattice observation tower at New Brighton, Wallasey, Cheshire.

Built for the New Brighton Tower and Recreation Company. It stood 567 feet 6 inches (173 m) high to the top of the copper ball on the flagpole, and was the tallest building in Britain when it formally opened in June 1898. The width at the base was 143 ft, and 1760 tons of steel were used in the construction.

The design was clearly inspired by the Eiffel Tower, but a more direct influence was the Blackpool Tower. The Eiffel Tower was a prestige/vanity project, originally intended to be temporary. However, it proved to be a money-spinner, and this success encouraged the construction of the Blackpool Tower. The Blackpool Tower was about half the height of the Eiffel Tower, but this was sufficient for the purpose! The New Brighton Tower was 50 ft taller than Blackpool Tower, and diverged from Eiffel and Blackpool by being octagonal in plan rather than square. Whereas the Eiffel Tower stood in splendid isolation, the bases of the towers at Blackpool and New Brighton were enclosed in large buildings, which were integral parts of the venue. The tower was part of a wider scheme to attract visitors to the resort. The Grand Tower Theatre was the largest in England outside London, its spectacular interior located within the tower's eight legs.

The structure was simpler than those at Blackpool and Paris, which would benefit construction cost and wind resistance. The latter towers have four leg structures, each leg comprising four main members, of square box section (i.e. sixteen box section members in all) joined by numerous horizontal and diagonal members. The New Brighton Tower had just eight box section legs, and above the height of the surrounding buildings these were interconnected by octagonal rings of horizontal lattice girders. Each panel was braced by slender diagonal rods. Within the confines of the building, the connections between the eight legs were much more substantial arched structures. A photograph here taken during site construction shows one of these arched structures. It also shows two of the main legs' box girders, one of which is simply suspended from the crane.

A Short History

The prospectus for the New Brighton Tower and Recreation Co was issued in July 1896. It identified Sir Benjamin Baker as the Consulting Engineer

In January 1896 two of Handyside's employees - John Richardson (foreman erector, age 45) and Alex Stewart (21) - were killed by the fall of a girder when the crane's hook failed and carried away a working platform. Another man, named Daly, was seriously injured. Construction had reached a height of 50 ft at the time. The girder weighed 9 tons 18 cwt. The crane had been made by John Henderson and Son. The inquest returned a verdict of accidental death. There was some vague speculation about the cause of the hook's failure, but no scientific investigation.

The full height had been reached by January 1898, and the flag was run up the mast, just 15 months after the start of construction

In April 1898 there was a serious fire on the 80ft platform

Unfortunately the resort did not attract the necessary crowds, and the Tower went into decline. Then the First World War intervened. In 1918 it seems that the tower was to be demolished to recover the steel for the war effort, but the war ended before any action was taken. No technical reason has come to light for the early demise of the tower. It may simply be that it was just not worthwhile maintaining and staffing it. In January 1919 it was reported that 'The mortgagees have foreclosed and taken possession of New Brighton Tower'It was decided in January 1919 to proceed with demolition. It appears that the decision was easily made, as the demolition contractors would not charge for the work, hoping to profit from the sale of the scrap steel.

In September demolition work was proceeding slowly, but there was hope that it might be saved. Demolition was completed in 1921, although the base of the tower remained, until the buildings were destroyed by fire in 1969.

'NEW BRIGHTON TOWER. Banquet to Celebrate Its Demolition.
It is more usual to celebrate works of construction then of destruction, but a banquet given last night at the Rock Point Restaurant, New Brighton Tower, was in celebration of the successful demolition of the Tower, the erection of which occupied three years and the cost £100,000. The hosts were Messrs. Hughes, Bolckow and Co., Ltd., the contractors for the work, were represented by Mr T. R. Sherret. the managing director. Ald T. S. Ashmore presided, and the toast of the " Contractors" was proposed by Ccr. Rawlinson, who said that the whole town regretted the disappearance of the tower, which was not only a landmark, but a thing of beauty. When the tower was being erected there were so many accidents that it was necessary to have an ambulance on the spot the whole time: but the difficult work of demolition had been accomplished without the slightest mishap.'

Maxwell and Tuke, who had designed Blackpool Tower buildings, were responsible for overseeing and supervising the project. The excavations and laying of the foundations for the tower were contracted to William Clapham of Stockport. The primary contractor for the tower was Andrew Handyside and Co

Electric lifts were installed by Easton, Anderson and Goolden. See description in The Engineer 1899/01/06. There were two lifts for passengers and one for goods in the base building, conveying loads from the ground level to a platform at the 80ft. level, where there was a refreshment room. From here two lifts ascended vertically to the 384ft. level. The gallery above the 384ft. level could only be reached by a staircase. The installation of lifts was very much simpler at New Brighton and Blackpool than at Paris, where the need for an unobstructed view between the tower's legs to the second stage platform dictated the use of inclined lifts.

'The whole of the buildings were carried out by Messrs W A Peters and Sons, contractors, Rochdale. Lodges and offices have also been built on the estate, and the whole work was carried out at a cost of over £200,000[?] within the short space of eighteen months, under the able superintendence of Mr. John Ashley as clerk of works. The architects and engineers for the whole work were Messrs Maxwell and Tuke, Corporation‑street, Manchester.

See Also

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Sources of Information

• [3] Architects of Greater Manchester 1800-1940: New Brighton Tower and Buildings