New lease of life for Northampton 'lighthouse'
by Martin Nash | 22 Apr 2010
The former Express Lift Tower in Northampton, UK, is the subject of a planning application to Northampton Borough Council which seeks to turn the 418.1ft (127.45m) structure into a tourist attraction.
The proposal, by local developer Peter Sullivan, would see alterations to the tower involving the provision of a high level maintenance gantry and panoramic lift on its external surface, with a two-storey visitor centre at its base. The latter would house a reception area, coffee shop, conference suite and security control point. Commissioned by the Express Lift Company in 1978 and officially opened by HM Queen Elizabeth II in November 1982, the tower is 47.9ft (14.6m) in diameter, tapering to 27.9ft (8.5m) at the top. The only lift testing tower in the UK, it gained Grade II listed building status in October 1997.
Designed by architects Stimpson & Walton, it contains two main testing shafts, a high speed one travelling the full height of the tower and a second, divided into three sections, which holds hydraulic and medium speed equipment. There is also a service lift and a stairway, plus a glass observation tower at the top. Nicknamed 'the Northampton lighthouse' by broadcaster Terry Wogan, the building fell out of use when Express Lifts was taken over by Otis Lifts in early 1997 and subsequently closed.
In September 2009 the building was renamed The National Lift Tower after Sullivan spent £1m restoring it for use by lift engineers once more for research, development and training purposes in conjunction with the University of Northampton.
The former Express Lift Tower in Northampton, UK, is the subject of a planning application to Northampton Borough Council which seeks to turn the 418.1ft (127.45m) structure into a tourist attraction. The proposal, by local developer Peter Sullivan, would see alterations to the tower involving the provision of a high level maintenance gantry and panoramic lift on its external surface, with a two-storey visitor centre at its base. The latter
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by Helen Andrews | 03 Jun 2026
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by Magali Robathan | 18 Apr 2026
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David Geffen galleries open at LACMA
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by Helen Andrews | 20 Apr 2026
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by Magali Robathan | 16 Apr 2026
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by Helen Andrews | 13 Apr 2026
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by Helen Andrews | 27 Mar 2026
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by Helen Andrews | 05 Mar 2026
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by Helen Andrews | 04 Mar 2026
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