Ainscough Crane Hire was brought in to oversee the handling of the 30m-tall chimney, which had to be split into eight sections and removed over a two-month period.
The listed chimney needed to be moved as part of Thames Water’s Tideway Tunnels improvement scheme, which involved nearby engineering works to London’s sewage system.
Squibb Demolition Ltd, principle contractor for the work, called in Ainscough to plan and coordinate the lifts. Ainscough used a 250t Liebherr LTM 1250-6.1 and a 100t Liebherr LTM 1100-5.1 to dismantle the chimney.
Heritage guidelines meant the grade-two listed Victorian industrial chimney had to be carefully removed so it could be reinstalled once the work had been completed.
Squibb Demolition’s John Davis said: “We needed to use a method that would allow the chimney to be rebuilt at a later time, with no visual signs that it had been touched.”
Kevin Vogan, who was recently appointed as an area sales manager working from Ainscough’s West London depot, said: “Because the chimney is listed, the activity needed to meet strict heritage guidelines, and meticulous planning and coordination were essential.
“A chassis was created for each section of the structure, providing four lifting points, which allowed them to be systematically lifted ready for storage.
“Overhead power lines added to the challenges of the project, but our team ensured the logistics ran smoothly, with cranes rigged for maximum safety within National Grid regulations,” Vogan added.
