Crystal Palace transmitting station
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| Tower height | 219 metres (719 ft) |
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| Coordinates | 51°25′27″N 0°04′30″W / 51.424166666667°N 0.075°WCoordinates: 51°25′27″N 0°04′30″W / 51.424166666667°N 0.075°W |
| Built | 1956 |
| BBC region | BBC London |
| ITV region | ITV London |
| Local TV service | London Live |
The Crystal Palace transmitting station, currently known as Arqiva Crystal Palace, is a broadcasting and telecommunications site in the Crystal Palace area of the borough of Bromley, England (grid reference TQ339712).
The station is the fifth-tallest structure in London, and is best known as the main television transmitter for the London area. As such, it is the most important transmitter in the UK in terms of population covered. The transmitter is owned and operated by Arqiva.
The station was constructed in the mid-1950s among the ruins of the Crystal Palace. The Aquarium on whose site it stands was destroyed in 1941 during the demolition of the Palace's north water tower. (John Logie Baird's earlier transmitter and TV studios were a separate development at the other end of the Palace and perished with it in 1936.) Its new 219-metre (719 ft) tower was the tallest structure in London until the construction of One Canada Square at Canary Wharf in 1991.
The first transmission from Crystal Palace took place on 28 March 1956, when it succeeded the transmitter at Alexandra Palace where the BBC had started the world's first scheduled television service in November 1936. In November 1956 the first colour test transmissions began from Crystal Palace, relaying live pictures from the studios at Alexandra Palace after BBC TV had closed down for the night. In May 1958 the first experimental Band V 625-line transmissions started from Crystal Palace.
This tower was designed and built for BBC by British Insulated Callender's Construction Co Ltd with steelwork fabrication by Painter Brothers Ltd, Hereford. The tower was required to transmit television programmes with good reception in 1957 and has a total height of 708 feet (216 m). The base of the tower is 120 feet (37 m) to a side and it rises in twelve diminishing panels to a 14.5 feet (4.4 m) square platform at a height of 429 feet (131 m). The tower was constructed using two masts as derricks, one 230 feet (70 m) and the other 125 feet (38 m) high in conjunction with a winch. A 16mm film was produced of the construction by BICC at the time which was available on loan from the BICC Film Library.
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