Built between 1844 - 1852 and standing 309 feet tall, Listed Building Consent has been sought for Grimsby Dock Tower. If approved by North East Lincolnshire Council, work could start on the historical structure later this year in the hope it can reopen to the public. Jenny was a key contributor to assessing the building in its current state and advising on proposed works and the design and method of repair/maintenance. The proposals include:
- insertion of a new staircase
- Installation of internal lighting
- Brickwork repairs
- Metalwork repairs
- Paintwork
- Roofing
- Floor repairs
- Drainage
- Interpretation panels
ABP are holding a Heritage Open Day on Saturday 14th September, where Jenny will be discussing this project, alongside our client ABP.
Things you may not know about Grimsby Dock Tower (according to various sources!)
- The tower was built to power the heavy dock gates and cranes of what was once the world’s busiest fishing port.
- The architect was Mr J W Wild and it was built under the supervision of Mr J M Rendell who was engineer in charge of construction of the Royal Dock
- Hoop iron bond is used in the walls
- Walls at the base of the tower are 4ft thick and narrow to 3ft at the string course under the corbells
- The base of the tower is 28ft tapering to 26ft at the underside of the first projection
- It took one million bricks to build the Dock Tower, all of them, except for the millionth brick, which was made of glass, were made from the clay that was dug out of the dock basin during its construction
- It was decided to use hydraulic pressure to open and shut lock gates (there were to be 10 pairs in total)
- A reservoir holding 30,000 gallons of water was installed 247ft up inside the tower and this ensured a pressure of 100lb per square inch
- The water was obtained from a well 15ft in diameter and 47ft deep
- The water used was not salt water but pure water and was also used to supply drinking water to ships and houses on the dock
- It was opened by Queen Victoria in October 1854
- The interior housed a lift which carried passengers to the deck level, just on top of the water tank. Its most famous passenger being Prince Albert, during the opening visit
- The ‘rumour’ that the foundations were built on cotton bales is sort of true, it’s piled, on timber piles and then the cotton bales were used like void formers to cast the floor slab over
- In 1900, a new system was installed using accumulator towers involving a weight of 300 tons to create the necessary pressure, this meant virtually the end of the practical use of the main tower
- The tower has been designated a Grade 1 listed building of exceptional interest by Historic England
- The tower features on the official chain of the Lord Mayor of Grimsby
Grimsby Dock Tower
