Express Lift Tower
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The Express Lift Tower is a former elevator test tower built by the Express Lift Company off the Weedon Road in Northampton, England. The structure was commissioned in 1978 with construction commencing in 1980, and was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on November 12, 1982.
Designed by architect Maurice Walton of Stimpson and Walton, the tower is 127.45 metres (418.1 feet) tall, 14.6m (47.9ft) in diameter but tapers to 8.5m (27.9ft) at the top. The only lift testing tower in Britain, it was granted Grade II listed building status on October 30, 1997, at the time making it the tallest and youngest listed building in the UK.
It gained the nickname "The Northampton Lighthouse" from broadcaster Terry Wogan on his BBC Radio 2 programme. The building has never been open to the general public.
In January 1997, the tower fell out of use after Express Lifts was taken over by Otis and subsequently closed. In 1999, the tower and surrounding land was sold to Wilcon Homes for development. The building has been threatened with demolition after being found to have so-called "concrete cancer", but this plan faced strong opposition from local people, and as of 2006 the tower's future is uncertain although demolition may be difficult due to the proximity of the new housing development.
The building is being inspected by abseilers in November 2006, to help the owners, formulate a maintenance strategy and evaluate possible future uses of the tower. Suggestions so far have included luxuray apartments and a climbing and abseiling centre.
It is the only such tower in the UK, and one of only two in Europe.
