Spinnaker Tower

[kevq]

a simple one of Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower. Done to celebrate the recent news that Portsmouth Dockyard is not to be closed.
Kev.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/11NTJ5s7OelM2ZneIEw4zjTMyLOzj_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1yLltdKsllPWKHcmcyq3tYbXrAQZD1)

[nkeevers]

Nice Kev! Boy, that's some building! What's in it anyway?

[John L Gray]

Kev,

One very cool building design. The montage turned out very nice. Great job.

John.

[kevq]

Norma,
pleased you like it.
The tower's main attractions are the viewing platforms, it's used for a variety of events.
Here's a little information,
The tower, at a height of 170 metres (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metre) (558 feet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_%28unit_of_length%29)) above sea level (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordnance_Datum), is 2.5 times higher than Nelson's Column (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson%27s_Column), making it the tallest accessible structure in the United Kingdom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom) outside of London (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London). The tower is visible for miles around Portsmouth, changing the shape of the horizon in the area.
The tower represents sails billowing in the wind, a design accomplished using two large, white, sweeping steel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel) arcs, which give the tower its distinctive spinnaker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinnaker) sail design. The steelwork was fabricated by Butterley Engineering (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterley_Engineering). At the top is a triple observation deck, providing a 320° (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C2%B0) view of the city of Portsmouth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portsmouth), the Langstone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langstone_Harbour) and Portsmouth harbours (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbour), and a viewing distance of 37 kilometres (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilometre) (23 miles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mile)). The highest of the three observation platforms, the crow's nest (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crow%27s_nest), has a wire mesh roof, allowing visitors to get the feeling of being amongst the elements. The glass floor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_floor) is the largest in Europe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe). The tower has a design lifetime of 80 years.


Kev.

[kevq]

John,
thank you.
Kev.

[nkeevers]

Thanks for the info Kev! Beautiful building. Seeing as I'm a sailing person, no wonder I like it!

[kevq]

Norma,
haven't met anyone who doesn't like it.
I think one of the best things that took place there was a Valentine's Night Special. Our local TV station ran a competition and the winning couple won a night in the tower.
The main viewing floor was turned into a Luxurious apartment, a butler and a
top chef were provided. They had a great time.
Kev.

[G. OReilly]

KEV....This is a picture of the tower that I took wfhen I visited England last year....It shows the 3 platforms that you mentioned.

It's worth the ride up the elevator to see:)

George
http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1OEn7eDGCIJSBi2ivFfzrAsZP9jVn00_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1OEn7eDGCIJSBi2ivFfzrAsZP9jVn00)

[BillBarber]

They were actually thinking of closing the dockyard? Wow, that's a lot of commerce to turn away.

Nice montage!

[annc]

A good montage. Thanks for the information. Colin, our driver, pointed it out to us on the way back from Exbury Gardens - certainly spectacular.

[smiles]

Whoa Kev, That is an amazing building! Great montage, Thanks for sharing!

[kevq]

George,
nice shot, hope you enjoyed your stay in the UK.
Kev,

[kevq]

Bill, pleased you like it.
The civil side of the dockyard would have survived but the Naval side - a
Royal Dockyard, with a few hundred years of service would have closed with the loss of thousands of jobs.
Kev.

[kevq]

Ann,
thanks. It is an impressive sight.
Kev.

[kevq]

Smiles,
thank you.
Kev.

[westiemom]

What a great montage, Kev. That is a very striking building. Thanks for the info. Glad all those jobs were saved.

Anita

[Orphanannie]

Wow Kev,

That's beautiful and thanxs for the information on the building. Glad it is going to stay open.

[kevq]

Anita,
thanks,
Kev.

[kevq]

Andrea,
thank you.
Kev.

[karen donnybrook]

Wow Kev, what an impressive building. Love the layout you have done. The information on the building was very good.

Karen :)

[kevq]

Karen.
pleased you like it.
Kev.