Blackpool Tower restoration completes
Blackpool Tower is free from scaffolding for the first time in eight years, after a £6m repair and restoration programme carried out by specialist contractor MP Marine.
The project to repaint and repair the 518ft landmark on the Lancashire coast has meant scaffolding has covered the tower since 2008.
Around 120 tonnes of paint and 75 tonnes of steel were needed to complete the project.
Cumbria-based MP Marine restored the tower in sections so that the tourist attraction could remain open. Previous coats of paint were removed using hydroblasting, high-pressure water cleaning.
The turrets were replaced and the team checked, stripped and replaced various metalwork and nuts and bolts on the tower’s steel structure.
Kate Shane, head of Merlin Entertainments Blackpool cluster, said: “It was an emotional moment for myself and the team to look at The Blackpool Tower standing in all her resplendent glory. But it goes beyond that too, it’s a fundamental moment for Merlin Entertainments Blackpool and the resort itself, as The Blackpool Tower is a loved landmark for both residents and visitors, playing a vital part in visitor numbers to Blackpool.”
“As well as The Blackpool Tower standing proud for all to see, it is an investment in the future and has protected one of Britain’s most famous and iconic structures, preserving it for future generations.”
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Proud to have been one of the team working on the renovation
By Mike