Working at height on Salisbury Cathedral

[hannahb]

I'm watching an old series in which Tony Robinson visits cathedrals (a good watch if you're into that kind of stuff, and there is a new series of a similar nature currently on TV).

Episode 3, about half way through, features the men who change the lightbulbs at the top of the spire of Salisbury Cathedral. I am absolutely certain I could not step out of that little door onto the rungs!

5

www.channel5.com

 

[pwhole]

Dunno, could be £250 for a couple of hours work...

 

[ChrisJC]

I'm with hannab - they could keep their £250!

Chris.

 

[kay]

Yet you'll all happily dangle a similar distance on a piece or rope?

I wouldn't have got up those ladders inside the tower.

 

[hannahb]

Yet you'll all happily dangle a similar distance on a piece or rope?

I wouldn't have got up those ladders inside the tower.

It's the daylight, and the airiness! You might be far from the walls on a big pitch in a cave, but you're rarely (never?) on the outside of the walls

 

[Mrs Trellis]

You can see the Russian spy submarine from the top of the spire of Salisbury Cathedral.

 

[pwhole]

Me and a mate painting a stairway/elevator tower in Liverpool - this was only 50m, but still pretty exposed - though you very quickly get used to it. The worst part was the lifts weren't installed, and we had to do 16 floors of stairs 3-4 times a day with buckets of heavy mineral paint. The job took five weeks to do two full coats, and on the last night in the hotel my appendix burst, and I ended up stuck there another week in hospital!

 

[ChrisJC]

I closed my eyes whilst doing Titan.

Chris.

 

[Mark Wright]

I remember working on the Emley Moor mast about 30 years ago. We were doing a full 'hands on' examination of the concrete, both inside and out.

The longest drops you could do without being blown away from the structure too much was about 50m. The aircraft warning lights are spaced at 50m so we carried out a mechanically bolted aid climb all the way around the mast at each 50m level and rigged twin horizontal traverse lines so the examiners could easily aid climb out to the required drop point, abseil down to do the examination, and then get off at the next level down. There is a lift to get you back up a level.

My work colleague for the rigging element of the job, and a very experienced caver, climbed out of the aircraft warning light door at 200m with his drill, ropes and bolting gear only to return again a few minutes later saying it was too high for him and he would do the internal work instead. That left me to rig the horizontal routes at the 200m and 250m aircraft warning lights. From the 250m level I then had to climb vertically for nearly another 50m and then rig another horizontal route around the underside of the control room at nearly 300m.

I then had to de-rig it all a few days later. De-rigging the top section was particularly hairy as the anchors were gradually removed, leaving me with just 2 anchors to do a 'pull-through' down to the 250m level.

We had some spectacular mornings with the clouds below us and we regularly saw aeroplanes flying below us.

I was the contracts manager for a Canadian rope access company in 1997 and we carried out the first ever 'hands on' examination of the aerial at the very top of the 553m CN Tower in Toronto. It had only ever been examined through binoculars from a helicopter. We could only carry out the examination in the very early hours of the morning, as they had to switch off all the transmitters, so we didn't get the best views. We'd hoped to be able to use some of the photographs of the job for our company brochure but they made us hand over all our camera film after the job for security reasons.

The Emley Moor job is still one of the best rope access jobs ive ever done. I got quite proficient at aid climbing and did a lot of underground climbs around that time.

 

[Ian Ball]

that looks great work to mem, though no one would pay me to paint anything if my diy painting is seen.

 

[tony from suffolk]

I remember reading that during fairs in Salisbury during the middle ages men used to climb the cathedral steeple, probably with a few drinks inside them.

 

[Boy Engineer]

I closed my eyes whilst doing Titan.

Chris.

I’m having to close my eyes reading these accounts. Got that horrible feeling in my legs reading Mark’s piece on Emley Moor mast. Hoping it’s just armchair vertigo and not a sign that I need Matron to change me. There’s a lot to be said for a nice horizontal adit.

 

[IanWalker]

If you like watching videos of people working at height without rope access gear, I can recommend both these videos. Definite steeplejack vibes

Short video from 1950s about pylon erectors

30 minute BBC documentary from 1997 about pylon painters

 

[Tangent_tracker]

I closed my eyes whilst doing Titan.

Chris.

Me too! I'm fine rigging it, and ok at the top of the main pitch, but as the cavern opens up, my eyes slowly shut, only to peep occasionally... I am strange with heights as I hold a tower rescue cert and climb occasionally for a living, and feel quite comfy even when exposed on a structure, but there are some situations where I just can't cope! Never been able to work it out!

 

[darkdescender]

Is it just me but for no apparent reason I find some long pitches 'friendly' but others 'foreboding' ?

 

[hyweldavies]

I'm watching an old series in which Tony Robinson visits cathedrals (a good watch if you're into that kind of stuff, and there is a new series of a similar nature currently on TV).

Episode 3, about half way through, features the men who change the lightbulbs at the top of the spire of Salisbury Cathedral. I am absolutely certain I could not step out of that little door onto the rungs!

5

www.channel5.com

I can highly recommend the "Tower tour" of Salisbury cathedral. You get to peep out the little door to see the tiny little steps up the last bit outside the spire to change the light. Whilst it's high and precarious I'd be OK to do it if clipped in. I'd not want to do it just relying on the little steps which was likely the way it was done

Anyone here's some DIY at home

 

[Boy Engineer]

How are you getting on with the replacement skull? Bet you had to go private…..

 

[Tritim230]

I remember working on the Emley Moor mast about 30 years ago. We were doing a full 'hands on' examination of the concrete, both inside and out.

The longest drops you could do without being blown away from the structure too much was about 50m. The aircraft warning lights are spaced at 50m so we carried out a mechanically bolted aid climb all the way around the mast at each 50m level and rigged twin horizontal traverse lines so the examiners could easily aid climb out to the required drop point, abseil down to do the examination, and then get off at the next level down. There is a lift to get you back up a level.

My work colleague for the rigging element of the job, and a very experienced caver, climbed out of the aircraft warning light door at 200m with his drill, ropes and bolting gear only to return again a few minutes later saying it was too high for him and he would do the internal work instead. That left me to rig the horizontal routes at the 200m and 250m aircraft warning lights. From the 250m level I then had to climb vertically for nearly another 50m and then rig another horizontal route around the underside of the control room at nearly 300m.

I then had to de-rig it all a few days later. De-rigging the top section was particularly hairy as the anchors were gradually removed, leaving me with just 2 anchors to do a 'pull-through' down to the 250m level.

We had some spectacular mornings with the clouds below us and we regularly saw aeroplanes flying below us.

I was the contracts manager for a Canadian rope access company in 1997 and we carried out the first ever 'hands on' examination of the aerial at the very top of the 553m CN Tower in Toronto. It had only ever been examined through binoculars from a helicopter. We could only carry out the examination in the very early hours of the morning, as they had to switch off all the transmitters, so we didn't get the best views. We'd hoped to be able to use some of the photographs of the job for our company brochure but they made us hand over all our camera film after the job for security reasons.

The Emley Moor job is still one of the best rope access jobs ive ever done. I got quite proficient at aid climbing and did a lot of underground climbs around that time.

Hats off to you Mark. I've always had a fear of heights that has only got worse getting older. I recall discovering and rigging a 165m free hanging pitch in Pozo Madejuno, it was terrifying at the top. Being in the dark is the best way to deal with it!

 

[Boy Engineer]

If you like watching videos of people working at height without rope access gear, I can recommend both these videos. Definite steeplejack vibes

Just got round to watching the painting one. Shocked by the lack of safety provision, given the (relatively) recent date. Just awful. But did like the heel method for opening paint tins and will try that when we redecorate the lounge.

 

[Badlad]

I visited the Burj Khalifa in Dubai recently. 829m high. Apparently this lady really did stand on top for this advertisement. Hats off.