Lee’s Landmarks – Emley Moor Station, Principality Stadium, Houses of Parliament
If you find that organising electrical jobs at your workplace can be hard work at times, imagine the challenges that those running major landmarks have to face. Here, we look at some of the awe-inspiring stats of three familiar landmarks.
Emley Moor Station
The tallest self-supporting structure in the UK, the concrete tower, locally known as the Emley Moor Mast,
was completed in 1971 and awarded Grade II Listed status in 2002.
The landmark tower replaced a cylindrical mast that collapsed under the weight of ice in 1969.
Only a few people outside those who work there have been allowed to ascend to the top; they include cricketer Freddie Flintoff and actor Robbie Coltrane.
Essential stats:
- Height of tower: 330.5m (1,083ft)
- Weight of tower: 11,200 tonnes
- Primary transmission range: approx 40 miles
- Time to ascend the mast by lift: around seven minutes
Electric facts:
- Sixth most powerful transmitter in the UK
- The main UHF transmitter site for a large part of the Yorkshire region
- Has 56 small repeaters across the region to improve its signal coverage
- The key operations base for the broadcast division of Arqiva, responsible for monitoring the whole of the UK broadcast transmitter network
- Number of lightening strikes to hit the tower’s conductor during a July 2014 storm: approx 75
Principality Stadium, Cardiff
The home of Welsh rugby, Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium was renamed the Principality Stadium on 22 January 2016, representing a new deal between the Welsh Rugby Union and the Principality Building Society.
Originally built to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup, the stadium has a fully retractable roof. It has hosted a range of other sporting events, including football matches and speedway events, as well as major concerts with artists such as Madonna, The Rolling Stones and Take That.
Essential Stats:
- Number of rugby matches held to date: 110
- Biggest concert crowd: 73,354 for U2 in 2009
- Number of bars: 27
- Number of public food units: 27
Electric facts:
- The new 40m-high Principality Stadium sign was switched on by Wales Head Coach Warren Gatland
- Number of LED lighting units recently installed by UK energy group SSE: 2,500
- Amount of savings expected from the new lighting system: around 70%
- Increase in light levels with new system: previous level 60 lux, new level 100 lux
Houses of Parliament
The seat of government and one of London’s most important landmarks, the Palace of Westminster, commonly known as the Houses of Parliament, was originally built on the banks of the Thames in medieval times, although following several fires, most of today’s structure was built between 1840 and 1870.
A royal palace and former residence of kings, the building today is home to the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The most famous tower is the Elizabeth Tower, completed in 1859 and known as Big Ben after its great bell. The Great Clock was started on 31 May that year.
Essential Stats:
- Number of rooms: almost 1,200
- Number of staircases: 100
- Tallest tower: Victoria Tower at 98.5m (325ft)
- Number of steps to the clock room: 292
- Weight of Big Ben’s bell: 13.8 tones
- Length of minute hands on the four clocks: 4.2m (3ft 9”)
Electric facts:
- Date electric lighting installed in House of Lords: 1883
- Date electric lighting installed in House of Commons: 1912
- Voltage Optimisation equipment has recently been installed to reduce energy wastage
- A programme of LED lamp replacement and lighting controls is under way
- Electrical supply to the estate has been sourced from renewable and good quality combined heat and power sources since April 2013
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