Wainhouse Tower, Halifax
This is my favourite tower ever I think. There is a wonderful winding staircase which winds round a central chimney. Along the way are little windows inset into the outer wall where you have to squeeze into to let people pass you going up or down. You spiral round and round, higher and higher and wonder when you'll ever see daylight. And then you are rewarded with a fabulous 360 degree vista of Halifax and the Calder Valley.
It's 272 feet or 84 m high (shame it's not 4 metres higher and I could get my '88' in), built between 1871 and 1875 and has 403 steps to the first viewing platform. It was built to serve as a chimney to the dye works owned by John Wainhouse. The chimney had to be high to comply with the Smoke Abatement Act of 1870. Mr Wainhouse wanted an elaborate chimney but sold the dyeworks to someone else in 1874 who refused to meet the cost of such a fancy chimney so Wainhouse kept it for himself as an observatory. And good for him - I'd have kept it - a tower all to myself.
I can remember climbing it in the eighties or nineties and I am sure we were allowed up to the second of the two tiers at the top. I can still remember the excitement of another level to climb and waving down to my mum way way below. I climbed it last year with my family and alas we were only allowed to the first tier, still up in the clouds.
In previous years the Tower has been open on some Bank Holidays. Well worth the effort - just check with Tourist Information in Halifax.
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