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Red Dwarf star goes back in time at BT Tower
Monday June 29th 2009. Posted: 08:00
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Click here to see the BT Tower taking shape
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An invitation to the BT Tower is something special. The 360-degree views of London enjoyed by tourists in the 1960s and 1970s may have changed - but the building hasn’t.
The mechanical marvels of the former Post Office Tower - which took more than four years to build - have been explored by actor Chris Barrie, of Red Dwarf fame, in a new TV series celebrating 50 years of British design that changed people’s lives. Chris has reported on the machines that spin the 34th floor two-and-a-half times an hour. And he mused on the 1960s “in crowd” that dined in London’s only revolving restaurant, run by Butlins. He also got rare access to the very top. The tower was designed by a team at the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works and cost £2.5 million to build. After it was opened for business by Prime Minister Harold Wilson in 1965, the microwave aerials on top were used to send and receive broadcast and telephony signals all over the country. Venue More than four-and-a-half million people had visited the building by the time BT closed it to public access in 1980. The decision stemmed from the 1971 bomb near the top of the tower - for which no one has ever claimed responsibility. The bomb caused extensive damage but no injuries. It is thought to have been planted in a toilet on the lowest of the public viewing galleries. A warning was given and the building thoroughly checked but nothing was found. Today, the tower is the nerve centre of a vast broadcast and communications network, as well as being a telephone exchange. And more than 400 BT people report to work there every day. BT has also turned it into one of the busiest venues in London. In the past year alone, it has run and hosted 550 events. They included product launches, customer lunches, leadership events, awards ceremonies and charity events - including the BBC Children In Need and Comic Relief telethons. BT Tower manager Karen Ahern said: “As a conference venue, the tower is quite obviously unique. There are lots of intangible benefits. People feel special when they get an invitation. Brand “It’s a landmark which people aspire to visit. And it’s not uncommon for even the most famous and influential people to marvel at the views and the fact that they are able to enjoy them. “Almost every time footage of the London skyline is filmed or broadcast, the tower is there and everyone associates it with BT - that’s fantastic brand placement without even trying.” The 189m BT Tower - including a 12m weather mast - was the tallest building in London for 19 years, before the NatWest Tower went up in 1980. And, although even taller buildings have followed, the BT Tower has retained a King Kong sized reputation around the world. Keith Lovell, BT heritage operations manager, said: “There aren’t many people who haven’t heard of the Post Office Tower and it still dominates the London skyline. “It’s been closed to the public for almost 30 years but it’s still one of the structures tourists relate to. The sheer speed of the lift to the 34th floor still amazes me. “It’s strongly associated with London but it’s a true British icon.”
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Last updated:
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