In Nottinghamshire, decommissioned cooling towers still stand at West Burton and Ratcliffe-on-Soar.
There are no plans to preserve any of them, but BBC News reports that the Twentieth Century Society wants to see at least one set of towers preserved.
Catherine Croft, the director of the Society, says:
"I feel really sad when I see cooling towers come down.
"It's just something that has been part of our landscape, part of the history of the 20th Century that's going to be gone forever.
"We've had a really positive response to the campaign with people saying how much they like cooling towers and how they use them as way markers along familiar journeys."
My photograph shows the towers of Ratcliffe-on Soar power station. It was taken at Trent Lock, Long Eaton, which is where the Erewash Canal meets the River Trent.
I rather miss seeing the cooling towers of Didcot Power Station, demolished several years ago now. They were an important reminder that the urban and the rural are connected, not separate. I wonder if wind turbines will develop the same emotional appeal? I hope so.
ReplyDeleteAt least one landmark from 'Megawatt Alley' should be preserved for posterity to show people in the future how we used to burn coal to power our civilisation. And to understand why we stopped.
ReplyDelete