The National Lift Tower is a 127m (418ft)
purpose built lift testing tower located in the UK.
Built by the Express Lift Company, the tower is now
privately owned and operated as a research, development
and lift testing facility. All of the extensive
resources at the tower are commercially available.
The facilities at the tower include six lift shafts of varying heights and
speeds, one of which is a high speed shaft with a travel of 100m and a
theoretical maximum speed of 10m/s. The lift tower has a drop test facility
with a height of 30m and a lifting capacity of 10 tonnes and a 77m vertical
void used for research.
Northampton’s lift tower will go red, white and blue on Monday, 12 November to mark the 30th anniversary of the Queen officially opening the building.
LED lights will cascade up the tower, like a lift, from dusk until late into the evening celebrating this historic anniversary during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year.
Known locally as the ‘Northampton lighthouse’, the tower is 127 metres tall and is the only structure of its kind in the UK. The National Lift Tower was re-opened for business in October 2009 and is used by lift companies for research, development and testing. The tower is also well known as a venue for hosting charity abseils.
Councillor David Mackintosh, Leader of Northampton Borough Council said:
Councillor David Mackintosh, Leader of Northampton Borough Council said:
"The National Lift Tower is a favourite icon in the town’s urban landscape and many people recognise and associate it with Northampton. The landmark tower can be seen for miles and we wanted to mark this historic anniversary during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year. During the evening the colours of the Union Jack will light up the tower and we hope lots of people will pop along and see the display.”
The lights can best be viewed from north of Weedon Road and commuters will be able to see the display as they return or exit the town.
The lights have been provided by local company Stage Right Productions Ltd. The project has been funded by Northampton Borough Council and is supported by Northamptonshire County Council and the National Lift Tower.
