New Brighton Tower | |
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General information | |
Status | Demolished |
Type | Observation tower |
Architectural style | Steel lattice design |
Location | New Brighton, Wallasey, Cheshire (now Merseyside), England, UK |
Coordinates | 53°26′12.37″N 3°02′11.03″W / 53.4367694°N 3.0363972°W |
Completed | 1898–1900 |
Demolished | Tower in 1919–21 and Tower Building in 1969 |
Cost | £120,000 |
Owner | New Brighton Tower and Recreation Company |
Height | |
Roof | 567 ft (173 m) |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 4 |
Lifts/elevators | 4 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Maxwell and Tuke |
Developer | New Brighton Tower Estates Syndicate |
Structural engineer | Andrew Handyside and Co. |
Main contractor |
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New Brighton Tower was a steel lattice observation tower at New Brighton in the town of Wallasey, Cheshire (now in the Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside), England. It stood 567 feet (173 m) high, and was the tallest building in Great Britain when it opened some time between 1898 and 1900. Neglected during the First World War and requiring renovation the owners could not afford, dismantling of the tower began in 1919, and the metal was sold for scrap. The building at its base, housing the Tower Ballroom, continued its use until damaged by fire in 1969.
The tower was set in large grounds, which included a boating lake, a funfair, gardens, and a sports ground. The sports ground housed, at different times, a football team, an athletics track and a motorcycle speedway track. The Beatles played at the Tower Ballroom 27 times, more than at any other venue in the United Kingdom except the Cavern Club in nearby Liverpool.