Two striking cranes that sit in the River Thames are being removed so they can be restored as part of the Battersea Power Station redevelopment project.
Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC) has announced work is under way to restore the two listed cranes on the riverside jetty.
They are believed to have been installed in the 1950s and were decommissioned in 1983. They were used to unload coal into hoppers over the conveyors that fed Battersea Power Station when it unloaded up to 240 tonnes of coal per hour.
BPSDC said during the 30 years during which they have stood dormant, the machinery had deteriorated and required urgent restoration.
The historic cranes will be transported by barge down to the Port of Tilbury where they will temporarily be stored.
The cranes are expected to be reinstated in the second half of 2017. BPSDC said the cranes removal would also help transporting waste material from the Northern Line Extension tunnelling works by river rather than road.
Children from St George’s, Chesterton and Griffin Primary Schools have been asked to take part in a competition to name the barge used to transport the cranes from Battersea to Tilbury.
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