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Built
on Gunwharf, near Portsmouth Harbour Station, the Spinnaker Tower offers spectacular
views across the harbour for an expected 700,000 visitors a year.
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| The Spinnaker
Tower under construction | It
is the centrepiece of the Millennium Project for the Renaissance of Portsmouth
Harbour.
Since the idea was first unveiled in the mid-90s, the tower has had its fair share
of controversy. Read more at BBC
News Online.
Construction
of the tower fell way behind schedule and the last piece of the structure was
finally fitted on 17th January 2005 - five years later than originally planned.
The
'top cone' spire which is 27 metres tall and weighs 14 tonnes, was lifted up by
crane, bringing the tower to its full height of 170 metres - that's two and a
half times the size of Nelson's Column in London.  | | The
spire is manoeuvred into place |
From
the top you can see as far as the Isle of Wight, the Hampshire and West Sussex
coastlines, as well as the local landmarks like The Naval Base, HMS Warrior, Southsea
Common, Old Portsmouth and the rest of the city sprawling out below.
The design is intended to represent billowing sails and the city's strong maritime
traditions and was the result of extensive public consultations.
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| The giant
steel 'bows' in the factory | The
giant 'Cruciform' is the most crucial part of the structure and is shaped like
a giant steel snowflake - connecting the steelwork sails to the concrete shafts.
The 105 tonne cruciform has been constructed in Derbyshire by iron and steel
firm Butterleys who have been fashioning metal since 1790, and even built the
deck beams on HMS Warrior - now residing in Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard.
The massive cruciform was transported overnight to Portsmouth on 18th November
2003 to be slowly inched into place.
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| Don't look
down! The view from the top of the Spinnaker Tower | In
2003, BBC South's Dominic Blake took stomach-churning trip up the tower to see
the the breathtaking views over Portsmouth Harbour.
Click here to watch
his report for BBC South Today.
Work
on the tower is still underway but the contractors and the City Council expect
the attraction to be fully completed by the end of May 2005.
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