BT Tower, Birmingham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids BT Tower |
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The tower in September 2021
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| Record height | |
| Tallest in Birmingham since 1965 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower |
| General information | |
| Type | Telecommunications tower |
| Location | 40 Lionel Street, Birmingham, England |
| Coordinates | 52°29′0.31″N 1°54′15.95″W / 52.4834194°N 1.9044306°W |
| Construction started | July 1963 |
| Completed | September 1965 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 140 metres (460 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 31 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Ministry of Public Buildings and Works |
The BT Tower is a famous landmark in Birmingham, England. It is a very tall structure used for sending and receiving signals. It was once known as the Post Office Tower or GPO Tower. Today, it is the tallest building in Birmingham.
Contents
History of the BT Tower
Building a Communication Giant
Before the BT Tower, Birmingham used a metal tower on top of Telephone House. This was for early microwave communication. The BT Tower was built to improve these connections.
Work on the BT Tower began in July 1963. It was finished in September 1965. The tower started working in December 1966. The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Alderman James S. Meadows, officially opened it on October 5, 1967.
The tower was designed by the Ministry of Public Building and Works. M.H. Bristow was the main architect. It has 26 floors for equipment and offices. At the very top, there are five levels with round aerial galleries. These hold the dishes that send and receive signals.
Why the Tower is So Stable
The BT Tower was built to be very stable, even in strong winds. Its unique square shape helps with this. Channels at each corner guide the wind. This design helps stop the tower from swaying.
A stable tower is very important. The microwave dishes on the tower need to stay perfectly aimed. They send signals in a straight line to other towers far away. If the tower moved too much, the signals would be lost.
Changes and Updates Over Time
Over the years, the tower has seen many changes. In August 2003, it was painted a bright blue color. This covered its old light brown paint. The balconies were painted a darker blue.
On March 18, 2004, local comedian Jasper Carrott turned on the tower's night lights. This was part of a plan to light up famous places in Birmingham.
The tower is also home to a pair of peregrine falcons. These fast birds have a nest there. A webcam was even set up in 2010 to watch them!
In February 2012, the last large old dishes were taken down. These were for older, analogue signals. Now, about eighty smaller digital dishes are used.
From 2020 to May 2022, the tower was updated. Old satellites and antennas that were no longer needed were removed. This made the tower a bit shorter, from 152 meters to 140 meters.
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Inside the Tower: Floors and Functions
The BT Tower has many floors, each with a special purpose. There are 24 floors that hold equipment. Each of these floors is about 3.2 meters (10 feet 6 inches) tall.
Above these, there is a special area called the Band Branching area. You can see this as the square section from the outside. It is about twice as tall as a normal floor.
Above this square section are five more levels. These are the aerial galleries. This is where the large dishes are placed to send and receive signals.
