This February marks 55 years since we erected scaffolding at the iconic Nelson’s Column in the heart of London.
Built in 1848, the monument to Lord Horatio Nelson had been standing for 120 years before it received its first extensive clean. By this time, it was not only showing the signs of day-to-day wear and tear, it also sported the scars of the major world events it had stood through – not least the shrapnel damage inflicted by the German Luthwather in World War II.
Coventry was tasked with providing safe access for stonemasons, London Stone, to do the clean up and restoration work. Due to the complexity and high-profile nature of the operation, the contract understandably attracted much attention from the press, both locally and nationally. Reporters and photographers from newspapers, radio stations and television were given the rare opportunity to scale the 169ft structure and get a once-in-a-lifetime view over London.
As you can see from the photographs, the Coventry team did a fantastic job erecting the scaffold, making the job for the stonemasons that much easier. Following the completion of the project, we received a letter from the Ministry of Public Works and Building praising the team: “The work was carried out swiftly and efficiently by an obviously expert team of erectors and your foreman in charge is to be particularly congratulated on his courteousness and diplomacy he exercised is the face of considerable public interest.”
Since then, the Nelson’s Column project has become an integral part of our company history. A depiction of the structure surrounded by scaffolding was incorporated into our company logo until early 2000.
Read Coventry Scaffolding Director, Perry Hanifan’s, account of the project here.
Take a look at some rare video footage of the project from our archives below.
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