[georgie]

a night explore was originally planned for this but scrapped and today we just decided to go ahead with a day explore and see what happened...

after a rather scary entry we walked along the old docks now filled in trying not to be detected we just went for it hoping we,d end up at the tower without anyone spotting us as security was present round this part we had to be quick

this tower is like a maze of straight and spiral staircases leading up into the bell tower the pigeons seem to be waiting for you ready to attack and another ladder leading up to another little section then another little flight of spiral stairs leading to the roof

there was also little alcoves a fire place and various scrawling on the walls which made quite an interesting explore..

spent some time watching various ship go past...took some pics and got the hell off the land (we met a guy towards the end after getting down and he told us to watch out for security and directed us through a transport yard...it was a bonus the car was parked just outside)

explored with slaphead...

the history part...

Victoria Tower is a Gothic style clock tower located alongside Salisbury Dock in Liverpool, England. Positioned between the two river entrance gates to the Salisbury Dock itself, the tower acted as an aid to ships by providing both an accurate time and also warning of impending meteorological changes.

Victoria Tower was designed by Jesse Hartley and was constructed between 1847 and 1848, to commemorate the opening of Salisbury Dock. Its design was based upon an earlier drawing that had been made by Philip Hardwick in 1846.

Victoria Tower, which was often referred to as the 'docker's clock', was built as an aid to ships in the port, as it allowed them to set the correct time as they sailed out into the Irish Sea, while its bell warned of impending meteorological changes such as high tide and fog. Upon its completion is also served as a flat for the Pier Master.

Today, despite being in a state of dereliction, Victoria Tower is part of the Stanley Dock Conservation Area and also Liverpool's World Heritage Maritime Mercantile City. It is a grade II listed building.

Hartley's inspiration for the tower's design was the castle architecture of the Rhine region in Central Europe and is clearly visible in the numerous embrasures that are cut into the tower walls. It was constructed from 'irregular shaped' blocks of grey granite, a building material that was used in many of Hartley's other construction projects. The tower can be roughly split into three portions:

* The tapered circular base, which has several arched alcoves
* The central hexagonal column onto which the tower's six clocks are attached
* The roof, which consists of an overhanging 'castellated parapet' that is supported by several corbels






































pic from the roof...