Express Lift Tower

Weedon Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire
Stimpson and Walton (architects), Michael Barclay Partnership (engineers),
1980-82
Listed Grade II

When opened by the Queen in 1982 to much celebration, the partly government funded Express Lift Tower was conceived as a structure playing a significant role in the future development of lift technology. As the only building of its type in Britain it provided much needed facilities to test lifts and their components and to train staff in their installation and maintenance. With three separate shafts, faults from all around the world could be simulated in the tower, from the smallest residential block to the tallest skyscraper.

Architects Stimpson and Walton reflected the significance of the building in their design. Rising from a heavy concrete base this tapering parabolic form soars graciously over the Northampton countryside, appearing taller than its grand 127 metres. In reaching up to the sky the tower celebrates the contribution that the lift has made to modern architecture and the skylines of our cities. The tower itself has become part of the skyline and has become a popular landmark to locals.

Unfortunately, despite the large public support and the high standard of facilities (it is the tallest testing tower in Europe and America), the building stands empty and in a deteriorating condition. Since the last workers clocked out on the 27th of January 1997, the property has changed hands a number of times, and the tower has been faced with various applications for demolition by detonation. However in a strange twist of fate the chances of any future applications for demolition are unlikely. Taylor Woodrow (the current owners) have built so close to the tower that the only safe way to remove it would be by hand, making it prohibitively expensive.

The future of the Express Lift Tower now lies with a consortium currently looking to take-over the ownership and use the structure for its original purpose. The take-over is proving to be a complicated process as the consortium is trying to obtain compensation from the previous owners, who failed to carry out their contractual maintenance obligations. It is estimated that a minimum of £300,000 is required to cover the concrete in an Elastomeric coating to prevent the concrete from weathering.

A successful take-over would rejuvenate a modern building that still retains its usefulness. The lift tower could provide a much needed testing facility to the surrounding Lift Industries and University of Northampton lift engineering department. Reuse could help secure the future of lift manufacture in Northampton and save an important local landmark and a structure of national significance.

James Furlong

Current Status
January 2006
The Tower remains under the ownership of Taylor Woodrow as the take-over by the unnamed consortium never came about. The council seem keen on the re-use of the tower for its original lift-testing purposes. Despite its somewhat stranded position (surrounded at close proximity by new houses), sustainable re-use capabilities for the Tower are considerable. “Tower Village”, the surrounding residential development, was planned and approved on the basis that the Express Tower would continue to be uses for lift testing. Despite being hemmed in, there is space enough for the service yard and H.G.V. parking that a functioning test site would necessitate. The most likely solution to the Tower’s current dormancy would see various lift manufacturers, technical researchers (from Northampton University) and the British Standards Institute contracting use of the Tower. The Planning and Regeneration Division of the Council has also suggested the possibility of projecting advertisements on the surface of the Tower which could generate income. However there are still no definite plans and Taylor Woodrow’s commitment to finding a purpose for the Express Lift Testing Tower seem, at best, half-hearted. The Tower was a highlight of the Twentieth Century Society’s visit to Northampton in October 2005, where participants were most impressed by the structure’s awe inspiring height and presence.

Contacts
Jane Jennings, Northampton Borough Council, T 01604 837637
Stephen Chown, commercial surveyor for the consortium, T 01604 604050

Image credits
Photographs Elain Harwood