Dock Tower

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The Dock Tower is a 309-foot tall tower in Great Grimsby, England. It was designed to hold water at a great height in order to provide hydraulic pressure to operate lock gates, cranes and the large railway crossing gates on Cleethorpe Road - evidence of which remains to this day. The water in the tower was not salt water, but fresh water obtained from a 15 ft diameter by 47 ft deep well and as well as powering the above, it also provided freshwater to ships, the fish market and houses on the dock estate. The reservoir in the tower could hold 30,000 gallons and was 247 feet high up in the tower.

In 1900, accumulator towers were introduced - whereby the water pressure was created by compressing the water with a 300 tonne weight. This effectively spelled the end to practical use of the tower.

The Tower was designed by Mr. James William Wild and the engineer in charge of the building was Mr. J. M. Rendell. The hydraulic machinery inside the Tower was designed by Sir W. Armstrong. The Tower was built in 1851, one year before the completion of the Royal Docks.

The Grimsby Dock Tower, a symbol of both the port and the town was opened by Queen Victoria in 1854 and is Grimsby's most famous landmark. In recognition, it has been given a grade one listed building status, ranking it along side such national treasures as Buckingham Palace and Chatsworth House.

The tower was designed on similar lines to the Palazzo Publico in Sienna, Italy and contains over a million bricks produced from locally excavated clay which are themselves set in blue lias mortar. It is said that the millionth brick is encased in glass.

The tower is 28 ft across at its base, with 4 ft thick walls. These dimensions narrow to 26 ft and 3 ft near the top of the tower, under the corbels.

A plaque has been placed on the bricks paying tribute to the minesweeper crews of World War II, but for many Grimbarians, the tower will remain the true monument to the town's maritime heritage.

As of 1997 tours of the tower are organised one or two days per year by the Grimsby Rotary Club. Visitors can go into the tower, however are limited to travelling to the first level (200 ft) up a single spiral staircase. Abseiling down the tower is also possible.

At the time of it's construction in 1849 it was the highest building in Lincolnshire and the tallest brick built building in the country, while its single cast iron spiral staircase was the longest in the world. ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}

Dock Tower

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