First steels arrive

Every day seems to be a milestone as the building work shoots ahead. The first pieces of steel arrived on site today and no sooner had they landed they were being installed. The steels did not have far to come. They were expertly engineered by MD Lawson Engineering of nearby Ingleton. There is little that you cannot get in or near to Settle it seems.

The first picture looks a bit like an episode of Top Gear when in caravan crushing mode. The Settle Station Water Tower's international corporate headquarters caravan looks to be at risk but it is in the safe hands of the combined skills of (left to right) Kilburn and Johnson builders, Lawson the engineer and Whitelock's the heavy lifting men.
By good fortune Whitelocks were here today and the digger quickly redeployed from back-filling the retaining walls to lifting girders.













A tense moment as the very first bit of steel is manhandled into place across the opening in the side of the tower that will give access to the annex. Richard (The Stig) Kilburn (left) and Lucas his apprentice do the grunting whilst Carl Johnson expertly holds a string line aside, and looks suitably concerned.











From outside the annex the steelwork can be appreciated. The Stig is still to be unmasked but is in serious danger of it in this shot. He is standing on the three outer layers of the concrete reinforced retaining wall and tanking of the lower part of the annex. In front of him is an air gap which will be filled with insulation. The inner wall to the right of the picture is the wall of the downstairs WC and shower room, now almost to ceiling height. The big girder is part of the stairway structure. Its far end is bolted to the beam seen being fitted in the previous picture. The whole thing is millimeter perfect.