Emley Moor

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The Emley Moor tower

Emley Moor (located at [53°36′N 1°39′W]) is an area of moorland near the village of Emley, near Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England (national grid reference: SE222128). It is the site of the Arqiva-owned Emley Moor transmitting station. Its reinforced concrete tower is the tallest free-standing structure on the British Isles at a height of 330.4 metres (1084 feet). Reaching the Tower Room (at the top of the concrete part of the tower at 275 m (900 ft)) involves a seven minute journey by lift. The antenna structure above this is a further 56 m (184 ft). This is taller than One Canada Square, Britain's tallest building, which is only 235 m (771 ft) high. However, it is not as tall as the Belmont Transmitter in Lincolnshire, which is a guyed mast with a height of 385 m (1265 ft), making it the tallest structure of any kind in the country. On the other hand, the Emley Moor tower is taller than the Eiffel Tower, which is just 300 m (984 ft) high, with an additional 24m (79 ft) antenna on top.

The tower at sunset with striking cloud formations from nearby village Clayton West, Sept. 2005.

Emley's foundations penetrate 6.1 m (20 ft) into the ground and the whole structure, including foundations, weighs 11,200 tonnes. The top of the current tower at Emley Moor is 594 m (1949 ft) above sea level due to the site's elevated position on the Eastern edge of the Pennines. This area has always been important for RF (Radio Frequency) transmission and from the foot of Emley`s structure both Holme Moss and the Moorside Edge Transmitter are visible. Both of the latter are within 10 miles radius and are SW and WNW respectively.

The current tower is the third structure to have occupied the site. The original 135 m (445 ft) tower was erected in 1956 to provide independent television broadcasts to the Yorkshire area. It was replaced in 1964 by a taller 385 m (1265 ft) guyed mast (identical to the structure still standing at Belmont).

On 19 March 1969, a combination of strong winds and the weight of ice that had formed around the top of the mast and on the guys brought the structure down. After a series of temporary masts, erection of the current concrete-built tower began in 1969 with UHF (625-line colour) transmissions commencing on 21 January 1971 with the older VHF (405-line black & white) system coming into operation on 21 April 1971. It was designed by Ove Arup and Partners.

The Emley Moor tower broadcasts BBC One, BBC Two, ITV1 Yorkshire, Channel 4, Five, six digital television multiplexes, three digital radio multiplexes and two independent local radio stations (Galaxy 105 and Real Radio) over an area of approximately 10,000 km². It is the main station for some 57 relays and repeaters throughout Yorkshire and surrounding counties.

The UK Government declared Emley Tower a Grade II Listed Building of 'significant architectural or historic interest' in 2002.

Channels listed by Frequency

Clear skies over Emley Moor Tower

• Analogue Radio (FM VHF)
• * 105.1 MHz — Galaxy
• * 106.2 MHz — Real

• Digital Radio (DAB)
• * Block 11D: 222.064 MHz — Digital One
• * Block 12A: 223.930 MHz — MXR Yorkshire
• * Block 12B: 225.648 MHz — BBC

• Analogue Television
• * UHF 37 (599.25 MHz) — Five
• * UHF 41 (631.25 MHz) — Channel 4
• * UHF 44 (655.25 MHz) — BBC One
• * UHF 47 (679.25 MHz) — ITV1
• * UHF 51 (711.25 MHz) — BBC Two

• Digital Television
• * UHF 40 (626 MHz) — Multiplex 2 Digital 3&4
• * UHF 43 (650 MHz) — Multiplex A SDN
• * UHF 46 (674 MHz) — Multiplex B BBC
• * UHF 49 (698 MHz) — Multiplex D National Grid Wireless
• * UHF 50 (706 MHz) — Multiplex C National Grid Wireless
• * UHF 52 (722 MHz) — Multiplex 1 BBC

See also

• Telecommunications in the United Kingdom
• Radio masts and towers
• Radio masts and towers - catastrophic collapses
• List of tallest structures in Great Britain
• List of towers
• List of masts
• List of radio stations in the United Kingdom

External links

• [The Transmission Gallery: The fall and rise of Emley Moor (photographs and information)]
• [The Transmission Gallery: Television coverage map]
• [Info and pictures of Emley Moor]
• [Diagram of the NTL Tower.]
• [135 metre high lattice tower Emley Moor (dismantled).]
• [The radio mast at Emley Moor collapsed in 1969.]
• [TV Tower Emley Moor.]
• [Views of Emley Moor mast from Anoraks Guide to Radio in North Yorkshire.]

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