00:00The BT Tower is a Grade II listed communications tower in Fitzrovia, London, England, owned
00:12by BT Group. It was also known as the GPO Tower and the Post Office Tower. It was later
00:18officially renamed the Telecom Tower. The main structure is 581 feet high, with a further
00:24section of aerial rigging bringing the total height to 620 feet. Upon completion in 1964,
00:31it overtook the Millbank Tower as the tallest structure in London until 1980, when it was
00:35overtaken by the NatWest Tower. It was opened in 1965 by Prime Minister Harold Wilson. A
00:42360 degrees coloured LED screen near the top of the tower displays news across central
00:48London. It replaced a much shorter steel lattice tower which had been built on the roof of
00:52the neighbouring Museum Telephone Exchange in the late 1940s to provide a television link between
00:57London and Birmingham. The taller structure was required to protect the radio links' line of
01:03sight against some of the tall buildings in London then in the planning stage. These links were
01:08routed via other GPO microwave stations at Harrow Weald, Bagshot, Kelvedon Hatch and
01:13Fairseat, and to places like the London Air Traffic Control Centre at West Drayton. Wide
01:18angle view of the tower and its base from Cleveland Mews in August 2012 The tower was
01:22designed by the architects of the Ministry of Public Building and Works. The chief architects
01:27were Eric Bedford and G. R. Yates. Typical for its time, the building is concrete clad
01:32in glass. The narrow cylindrical shape was chosen because of the requirements of the
01:37communications aerials. The building will shift no more than 25 centimetres in wind
01:41speeds of up to 150 kilometres per hour. Initially, the first 16 floors were for technical
01:48equipment and power. Above that was a 35-metre section for the microwave aerials, and above
01:53that were six floors of suites, kitchens, technical equipment, a revolving restaurant,
01:58and finally a cantilevered steel lattice tower. To prevent heat build-up, the glass cladding
02:03was of a special tint. The construction cost was £2.5 million. Construction began in June
02:091961. Owing to the building's height and its having a tower crane jib across the top
02:14virtually throughout the whole construction period, it gradually became a very prominent
02:19landmark that could be seen from almost anywhere in London. A question was raised in Parliament
02:24in August 1963 about the crane. Reginald Bennett MP asked the Minister of Public Buildings
02:30and Works, Geoffrey Rippon, how, when the crane on the top of the new tower had fulfilled
02:34its purpose, he proposed to remove it. Rippon replied, this is a matter for the contractors.
02:40The problem does not have to be solved for about a year but there appears to be no danger
02:44of the crane having to be left in situ. Construction reached 475 feet by August 1963. The tower
02:52was topped out on 15 July 1964, by Conservative MP for Norwich South, Geoffrey Rippon. It
02:59was officially opened by the then Prime Minister Harold Wilson on 8 October 1965. The main
03:05contractor was Peter Linde & Company. The company was founded in 1915 by Danish Peter
03:10Linde, he died aged 66 in Surrey in December 1966, headquartered on Watling Street in Cannock.
03:17Queen Elizabeth II visiting the tower in May 1966 The tower was officially opened to the
03:23public on 19 May 1966, by Postmaster General Tony Benn, then known as Anthony Wedgwood Benn,
03:29and Billy Butlin. With HM Queen Elizabeth II having visited
03:34on 17 May 1966. 1971 Bombing A bomb exploded in the roof of the men's toilets at the top
03:41of the tower restaurant at 4.30 on 31 October 1971. The blast damaged buildings and cars
03:48up to 400 yards away. 21st Century The tower is still in use and is the site of a major
03:53UK communications hub. The second floor of the base of the tower contains the TV network
03:58switching centre which carries broadcasting traffic and relays signals between television
04:03broadcasters, production companies, advertisers, international satellite services and uplink
04:09companies. That is all. Subscribe and post comments for future videos.
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