Celebrating 170 years of Grimsby’s Dock Tower
This Sunday (March 27), Grimsby’s Dock Tower will celebrate its 170th birthday!
Standing 309 feet (94.2m) tall, the tower was completed in 1852 to power the hydraulic machinery of Grimsby docks.
Designed by James Wild and built by James Meadows Rendel, it was based on the Torre del Mangia on the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena.
Simon Bird, Regional Director for ABP Humber, said: “The Dock Tower is an icon in the landscape and the jewel in the port of Grimsby. It has been a beacon to so many over the years and for Grimbarians it is a symbol of home. As its custodians we have over the years spent time and money maintaining it, as it has such architectural historic value, and will be here for many more years to come.”
To ensure the tower lasts for generations to come, some routine maintenance work is being carried out this spring before it can be reopened.
The Grade 1 listed tower has been closed to everyone interested in visiting it since the pandemic began in 2020.
The planned maintenance works include the replacement of floorboards at the first level. Regular inspections are carried out on the building, led by ABP’s project team and in 2016 major brickwork repairs were carried out at the top.
Weathering is one of the factors the building is affected by, but the work in 2016 saw lime mortar replaced where needed and new bricks inserted. The bricks were sourced from other similar aged buildings on the port.
Approximately one million bricks were used in the original construction, whose clay was excavated from the marsh adjoining the dock.
The foundation of the tower is a solid masonry wall built upon a timber bearer piling. The legend is that it was built upon a bale of wool, but it is a reference to the Lincolnshire Longwool export trade which helped fund the port.
The Dock Tower continued to provide water for hydraulic working until 1892 when the erection of the hydraulic accumulator tower on the opposite pier approximately 70 yards to the northwest of the Dock Tower took over.
The ground floor of the tower was lined with pink, white, and blue drapery when Queen Victoria visited the dock in October 1854.
Her Majesty permitted Prince Albert, the Prince of Wales, and Princess Royal to accompany James Rendell in the hydraulic lift to the gallery running around the tower above the water tank. The lift is no longer in operation with access to the top via a spiral staircase.
It is hoped to have charitable fundraising activities and tours up and running by 2023.
Contact Gi Grimsby
Email us: news@gi-media.co.uk
Follows us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest local stories, breaking news and to join the conversation