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Tinsley TowersYou are in: South Yorkshire > Places > Tinsley Towers > Tinsley Towers: going, going, gone... Tinsley Towers: going, going, gone...They'd been camping out since teatime. Some had portable gas stoves, some brought their young children tucked up in duvets in the back of their cars - all were there to watch the demolition of the Tinsley Towers. ![]() Tinsley Towers demolition, 24/08/08, 3am Thousands of people turned up to watch the planned demolition of the Tinsley Cooling Towers in Sheffield at 3am on Sunday 24th August 2008.
Help playing audio/video There was no hush as zero hour approached - in fact the shouts from the eight thousand or so spectators grew more deafening. They were silenced only by the two loud cracks, and the distant rumble as Sheffield's skyline changed forever, and the Tinsley Towers fell. Meadowhall's car parks were jammed with onlookers and the roads around Meadowbank in Rotherham and Wincobank were also crowded. ![]() Going, going... partially demolished As the 250 foot tall redundant cooling towers disappeared into a cloud of dust, it seemed for a moment as if a piece had come to rest on the motorway. It was an optical illusion - but all had not gone according to plan. A section of the north tower remained pointing into the sky. Two hours passed while the Highways Agency and the owners of the towers - energy company E.On - debated what to do. Eventually E.On's contractors demolished the remaining piece of the towers manually and confirmed the demolition was completed. In a joint statement with the Highways Agency, the project partners declared that there had been no damage to the M1 viaduct. The towers' demolition on BBC Radio Sheffield!BBC Radio Sheffield stayed on-air overnight to cover the demolition of the towers. Steve White was in the studio while reporters Andy Kershaw and Dan Green were on-site to watch the demolition and brought us the moments that the iconic landmarks came down. ![]() Gone: The day after the demolition Andy Kershaw said: "We watched the countdown to the detonation at just after 3am and after the huge plumes of dust and smoke settled, everyone realised that part of the north tower remained standing. It pointed a giant concrete finger in the floodlit sky with part of the walls still standing at around 15 metres." Find out more about the demolition with BBC News: Help playing audio/video The 250ft high towers structures stood about 17 metres away from the M1 at Tinsley, across the road from Meadowhall Shopping Centre. They were left standing for safety reasons after the demolition of the Blackburn Meadows power station. Many people felt that when they saw Tinsley Towers, they know they are "home." ![]() I Love Tinsley Towers!? Thousands flocked to view the detonation of the towersMeadowhall Shopping Centre agreed to provide a viewing area for locals who went to witness the demolition of the cooling towers in the early hours of Sunday morning on the August Bank Holiday. Thousands of people stood in the drizzle with a sense that they were witnessing a seminal moment in Sheffield's history. The atmosphere was described as 'carnival' in nature in the run up to the detonation. Clare Brooks and her partner Glynn Morgan's from Dinnington won the raffle to sound the claxon for the explosion. Money raised in the raffle is to be shared equally between Rotherham Hospice and Neurocare at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital. ![]() A postcard from Tinsley Towers E.On is also funding a a commemorative book and set of postcards. Copies of the book and postcards set, each priced £5, will be on sale from Tuesday 26th August. In picturesWe'd like to collect as many of your photos of Tinsley Towers as possible - before and after the demolition. Send in your photos of the towers and the site to south.yorkshire@bbc.co.uk and we will add them to the gallery below.
Help playing audio/video You can also leave your comments about the towers and their demolition via the form at the bottom of the page, or submit your memories of Tinsley Towers to the BBC Memoryshare project where they will be added to an archive of memories from 1900 to the present day. ![]() Tinsley Towers What you thinkOne of the overriding feelings people have about the Tinsley Towers is that when you saw them standing alongside the M1, you knew you were 'home' and this was a major reason why the public wanted the towers to remain. Before their demolition, people wrote in with the following comments: "I moved to London some time ago and every time I come back for a visit when I pass the towers I know I am home," said Helen Wrend. Sarah agreed: "I always love to see them when I'm on the train or coach back from a long trip - they tell me I'm almost home. I'll miss them when they're gone." Other people point out that the towers were an important reminder of Sheffield's industrial past. "They represented Sheffield's past glories as an industrial hub of the world!" says Jimmy. ![]() Artist's impression © Insite Lots of people saw the Towers as a potential piece of urban art or iconography, and they were the subject of a RIBA and Groundwork Sheffield art competition and a Channel 4 competition to keep them as a piece of iconic art, but nothing came of it. A series of postcards of Tinsley Towers was commissioned by the Arts Council, and limited edition memorabilia and artworks were sold commemorating the Towers. After photographing the towers from every angle for an art project, M wrote in to say, "They are among the most beautiful pieces of urban landscape I have ever seen. Their loss would be the loss of a distinctive landmark, part of Sheffield's horizon as much as the Arts Tower or Meadowhall. I'll be extremely sorry to see them go; I believe they deserve to stand for as long as they can as a testament to Sheffield's past and proof of the fact that something theoretically ugly can be beautiful too." ![]() View of Tinsley Towers from a crane But E.On spokesman Jonathan Smith explained that their demolition clears the way for the regeneration of the site and surrounding area: "The rest of the power station has gone, the towers have reached the end of their useful working life, and they literally need to be demolished." Although by no means everybody, certainly some locals see things from this point of view as well: "They're old and dull. They make it look old," says Jack - and 'Owdlad' says, "They've been an eye sore for many years and the sooner they are gone, the better it will be." Chris, a Civil Engineer, wrote in to say that: "they're rotting, dilapidated structures that will one day become a risk to the M1 due to lack of maintenance and investment. The only reason they didn’t come down with the rest of the original power station was due to strengthen works of the M1 viaduct which IS something of value and engineering heritage due to its very unique design. Down with the towers and make some use of the brownfield site they sit on!" You can read more comments on the topic by clicking on the link below to our Tinsley Towers Gallery and you can add your own.
Help playing audio/video What next? Landmark and biomass power stationSo what is planned for the brownfield site which Tinsley Towers sat on? In the first half of 2008, Sheffield City Council gave E.On planning permission for a £60m new biomass power station that will generate enough electricity for around 40,000 homes. The biomass plant will be built on the 30 acre site that the Blackburn Meadows power station stood on, and would burn a combination of recycled wood and specially grown crops such as willow and elephant grass. ![]() Sunset at Tinsley Towers, 2008 E.On also say that they are also exploring other opportunities for the site: "The land has been earmarked for employment opportunities in Sheffield City Council's Urban Development Plan. We believe the area has a positive future and we are already in discussion with the council and local partners to explore all options that will fit with the area's regeneration plans." The company also say that they have put aside a substantial sum to create a new permanent landmark piece of art for Sheffield. Get more information from BBC News via the link below. Help playing audio/video Have Your Say and your photosWe'd like to collect as many photos of Tinsley Towers as possible. Send in your photos of the towers - old and new - to south.yorkshire@bbc.co.uk and we will add them to the gallery below.
Help playing audio/video You can also leave your memories about Tinsley Towers by clicking on the BBC Memoryshare link. last updated: 03/04/2009 at 13:10 Have Your SayWhat did the towers mean to you? Was their demolition a loss for the region or will a biomass power station be a better use of the space? Megan Connell Shamee Brenda Callaghan Matty Jonathan martin gates PHIL Chris Eyre Miss Angry john -sheffield Derry Leach Matthew Hill Page - Sheffield josh-sheffield Catie Yvonne PTAYLOR lh-sheffield MARTIN ALFRETON jo smedley philip Leigha philip charley bacon joseph bacon Big un paula martin barnes dave blinco Abby- aged 11- sheffield REBEKAH STEVENSON LEEDS Lex Howling mandy Grace Gadsby Sarah & Christian Ratcliffe Lauren - Sheffield paul - rotherham Cati Leah and Amilia Anna Holland Mr Living in the real World SAD HEARTBROKEN WOMAN Jordan,Megan,Amy,Nicole and Paige !!! Hussain craig pell samirah dez Suspicious ...? Suspicious ...? charl Tim-worksop thomas brammer thomas brammer mick shel Louise Wortley David from Sheffield Toby - 15 Nicole wright kango lineswine vicky karen John Emery - Cyprus Amber Lou Mr R J Bilson Pam - Barnsley mick longworth Marcia Johnson TONY SLADE Matt Fletcher christy FRED FRED Iain Darren Craig Abbey Joanne - Rotherham Jordan - sheffield SJC Helen Donna - Sheffield C de Bruyn Neil Bennett David Pickthall GlynBD - Nottingham Heather Elaine Karen White Clive Steve michelle tudor tony kennedy Benny Thorpe Mike Dee - Sheffield Greg Koopa Mike john Adam - Sheffield KITT KNIGHT Rebekah Gale Charlotte Spencer Davies gary nicola David Mitchell Becky Wordy dave jackson David ellie and rob grace Hazel Middlebrook Hassina in Sheffield thomas age 8 Terry SEE ALSOYou are in: South Yorkshire > Places > Tinsley Towers > Tinsley Towers: going, going, gone... |
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