London BT Tower

[60136 Alcazar]

I see that work has started stripping out the old 1970s/80s BT equipment from the London BT tower.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/final-look-of-london-s...2ee5198204ebbb00413c8dba90552&ei=13

The images of the installed equipment look like they were just left yesterday!

Perhaps the broadcast and telecomms museums might get their hands on some of this stuff?

[paulsherwin]

There are major issues with emergency access and evacuation - I think that was one of the reasons why the public restaurant was never reopened after the bomb. A number of tall 60s buildings lost their public access in the 70s and 80s for that reason, notably St. John's Beacon in Liverpool. It would be interesting to learn how the hotel developers plan to address that.

[Vintage Engr]

I recognise some of that equipment. Looks 'modern' to me!
The nearby Natwest tower also suffered bomb-damage, I can't recollect which year.

I was called in to assess the viability of repair. Natwest declined some of my pricing, & I ended up bidding for what they didn't want. Which is partly why my workshop has so much excess kit. Somewhere under the remains, I still have a small Sony monitor.


I do hope that some of the equipment from the BT tower can be rescued... It's a good job I moved out of London!

David.

[Oldcodger]

Originally Posted by paulsherwin

There are major issues with emergency access and evacuation - I think that was one of the reasons why the public restaurant was never reopened after the bomb. A number of tall 60s buildings lost their public access in the 70s and 80s for that reason, notably St. John's Beacon in Liverpool. It would be interesting to learn how the hotel developers plan to address that.

Interisting point.
bit of an aside. I was a "warden" in a north east TRS in this period. Primary duties were to look for anything out of ordinary, in our section and report if needed.
It gave me a good excuse to wander about ( aka loaf) in our section and I believed the logic that any device would be placed around exits, so being in building was possibly safer than going straight out.

[electronicskip]

Wonderful timewarp. I remember as a boy being shown the Tower but never went inside the building.
I've got a postcard of the Tower I bought that day as a souvenir.

[emeritus]

In November 1968, my college arranged a visit for a group of us electrical engineering students. We saw it all, from top to bottom, including the platforms with the microwave dishes and the communications equipment. One room had a wall covered with television monitors displaying the various live feeds, while another wall was covered with black & white life-sized photos of monitors. Our guide explained that they hid the racking that had been installed for future expansion: it hadn't looked good in photos, so they had covered it with photos of monitors. We did get a look-in at the revolving restaurant, but missed out on the view: it was a foggy day, and we could barely see the ground.

[Goldie99]

Although I lived within sight of the BT tower back in the '60's, I never ventured inside. I do remember there used to be a Universities running race up the 700+ steps to the top of the tower, my brother was one of the competitors, probably in '69. It only lasted for a couple of years, until an IRA bomb put paid to it.

[paulsherwin]

Actually, it's never been definitively established who bombed the tower. Responsibility was claimed by a number of dubious groups including the Angry Brigade (70s anarchist crackpots) and the 'Kilburn IRA', but the IRA in Ireland denied responsibility, as did other Irish groups. Possibly the security services have a good idea who did it but have decided to keep quiet.

[G6Tanuki]

Some nice photos of the remanent infrastructure in the tower, lots of "Light Straw" racks!

I went up to the top back in the late 80s when at a telecomms conference which was partly sponsored by BT. It was an international event which included attendees from Red China, East Germany, Poland and the USSR. Those people were not included in the trip up top, on security grounds, the Cold War still being hot back then.

[Jon_G4MDC]

In what year did they take the microwave horns and dishes off? It's looked all wrong ever since with empty antenna bays. It would be interesting to know what radio was behind them too. I suppose Plessey stuff.

[198 kHz]

In 2014 I was a lucky winner of a trip for two to the top of the BT Tower in their 30 year anniversary shareholder prize draw.
The email said that refreshments were provided, which turned out to be a first class three course lunch in the revolving restaurant. A day to remember!

[Interscan]

As a very new member, this thread stirred a few memories and mods I hope within the boundary's of the thread - As an apprentice I used to visit the tower on a monthly basis as on the roof was a radar providing the London met centre with cloud information. The radar was the all valve Decca 42A feeding a Plessey Mk5 all germanium PPI display at the London weather centre. Faults often included the lines being redirected affecting our synchronisation. Visiting involved the lift to the disused restaurant level (possibly floor 34) up some stairs and trap door to the roof with the equipment in a hut, then often a climb to the scanner atop the 40' foot lattice tower at 620 feet above the street. For important events such as Wimbledon we had to provide additional support. I ultimately had the dubious honour of terminating the service in the early 80's as the met office installed a new national radar network. I have attached some photos including the rare view looking down to the roof from the top of the lattice tower which remains to this day.

[Graham G3ZVT]

I have a vague memory if going up the GPO tower when it was a tourist attraction, so that must have been between 1966-71, probably near the end of that period.

I seem to remember being impressed by the speed of the lift, and being aware of it being the only practical way back down!

Also the almost imperceptible speed of the restaurant rotation. No doubt my thoughts were of slip-rings etc.

Wasn't there a press story about the rotating mechanism becoming BER because of a worn out part, and then, miraculously a spare part,, a large toothed wheel, was found within the structure?

[Graham G3ZVT]

Originally Posted by Interscan

As a very new member, this thread stirred a few memories and mods I hope within the boundary's of the thread - As an apprentice I used to visit the tower on a monthly basis as on the roof was a radar providing the London met centre with cloud information.

Hi Interscan, and welcome to the forum.
Were you responsible for, or have you have knowledge of any other city-centre weather radars?
I'm particularly interested in the radar head that was on the roof of the CIS tower in Manchester for a short time.

[bluepilot]

Originally Posted by paulsherwin

I think that was one of the reasons why the public restaurant was never reopened after the bomb.

My recollection is that it was the observation galleries that weren't reopened. I lived in a student hall of residence immediately under the tower. Some of the wreckage landed on our roof when the bomb went off. Afterwards I remember seeing queues of people waiting to go through a security check to get to the restaurant and signs saying the observation decks were closed to the public.

[paulsherwin]

The restaurant was closed for public access after the bomb. I think it gave a good excuse to the Post Office who never liked the idea of the general public wandering around their infrastructure, especially when aspects of it were classified. This was a period of worsening IRA attacks, and the PO microwave network was civilian/military dual purpose. That's why so many of the towers are massive concrete structures rather than lattice masts - they were intended to survive a near miss from a nuclear warhead. The London tower may look like a typical early 60s glazed curtain walled building, but behind that glass there's a very strong concrete core.

[Aub]

I worked there briefly in the summer of 1973 as an apprentice with GEC telecommunications. I was sent there to assist with installation of equipment. I can't remember which floor I worked on , maybe the 10th? , but I remember the restaurant being closed.

Aub

[Reelman]

I used to organise trips around London for a few of my junior school mates during the holidays. So around 1966/7 we went up the tower. I seem to remember at least one glass enclosed viewing gallery and certainly an open one with metal grilles to look through. Somewhere I have the photographs I look from the top.

Funny what you remember…… I bought a tiny red torch key ring from the large gift shop at the bottom. Used a U16 (AAA) and all of 12/6!

Peter

[Tim]

Never been to the BT tower and can’t believe they sold it off. I mean, THE thing associated with BT in the minds of people WORLDWIDE and they sell it!!!!!

Guess I never will now unfortunately. I have been up Purdown tower, a mere essay of a Tower here in Bristol, also used for Microwave links and TV. I think it was on a private wire job to provide a radio transmitter feed for a new independent station( can’t remember if it was Orchard FM or FTP radio)
We were allowed to go about halfway up in those days if you had a trained person with you but now it’s all courses to even think about going up it. I do remember one of the chaps who worked there used to have a sideline repairing TV’s from the “ back door” and his colleagues used to take messages from customers on one of the service lines.

[emeritus]

I understand that EE intended to drop their BT branding entirely, and have only retained it due to strong brand recognition by older people. So possibly they were not bothered about disposing of something so closely associated with the BT brand.