GPO Tower

There's an article here with pictures about the end of the BT tower.

Apparently there are all kinds of original knobs, dials and input ports in there.

There's more history on Wikipedia.

At the time it was built, during the cold war, I heard that it was designed to withstand a nuclear attack. Probably provincial schoolboy chat, In hindsight I don't suppose the microwave antennas or the glass windows would have been much use.

Have spent a few evenings on the restaurant floor. When speaking with customers I would ensure we were positioned either side of the "join" and then when roation started their faces woud be a picture of confusion as most did not understand what was happening and I was drifting away from them.

A lot of government buildings had a nuclear bunker in those days. I wanted to rent a floor in Telephone House (belonged to GPO) in Lancaster in the late 90's and we got to go down into the bunkers, several floors below ground.
Great big steel doors and a very eerie silence.

I was involved in construction of new building at Shotts TV tower in central Scotland in late 80s and part of the work was a nuclear 'proof' control room so TV broadcasts could continue in event of an attack. I'm sure the blast door would have survived but not so sure about the brick walls

I visited to receive an award back at the end of the 90’s.

A fair amount of the kit in the pictures linked to is all very familiar to anyone who has had a shufty round a telephone exchange. Lots of it was associated with ‘PW’s’ (private wires) point to point data circuits.

You were lucky to find the BT (or Post Office) Tower, its location being secret. As Kate Hoey said in parliament, "... Hon. Members have given examples of seemingly trivial information that remains officially secret. An example that has not been mentioned, but which is so trivial that it is worth mentioning, is the absence of the British Telecom tower from Ordnance Survey maps. I hope that I am covered by parliamentary privilege when I reveal that the British Telecom tower does exist and that its address is 60 Cleveland street, London...." from
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199293/cmhan...

Also, https://amyth.com/mysterious-history-londons-iconic-...

Cheers!

You may mock … but whilst driving there using my A to Z, it seemed all to obvious on the skyline .. but once got to around a mile or so away, it could no longer be seen.

Clever stuff huh

It’s an arguably hideous building on all four sides at street level. Don’t look up. 😂

I was fortunate to go to the revolving floor a couple of times in the 90s as a teenager. I seem to recall the stairs at those floor only went up and down a floor or 2 and just ended at a wall! I can only guess the express lift was fireproofed possibly and you'd actually use the in an emergency.

In reply to a post by Ancient_Mariner:

You were lucky to find the BT (or Post Office) Tower, its location being secret. As Kate Hoey said in parliament, "... Hon. Members have given examples of seemingly trivial information that remains officially secret. An example that has not been mentioned, but which is so trivial that it is worth mentioning, is the absence of the British Telecom tower from Ordnance Survey maps. I hope that I am covered by parliamentary privilege when I reveal that the British Telecom tower does exist and that its address is 60 Cleveland street, London...." from
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199293/cmhan...

Also, https://amyth.com/mysterious-history-londons-iconic-...

Cheers!

There are quite a few areas on OS maps which show little if any details, to see whats there get hold of a ex USSR map of UK, these show in remarkable detail what we aren't allowed to see.

It is a pretty awesome experience at the top

When I got to visit the tower, a colleague found the wind induced sway at restuarant level very unpleasant and to add the rotation to the mix was almost too much for him... I was enjoying the experience too much to notice trivial things like motion sickness

I went there 3 or 4 times for events laid on by a comms supplier, maybe late 90's or early 2000's. Some sessions without revolving and others where we sat for lunch with the top revolving. It is a great view out and definitely a pleasant experience.