Falkirk Wheel: Ripley firm creates wonder wheel

(Redirected from RIPLEY FIRM CREATES WONDER WHEEL)

Jump to: navigation, search

The Falkirk Wheel, constructed by Derbyshire firm Butterley Engineering

Derby woman Eileen Wride admires the Falkirk Wheel, constructed by Derbyshire firm Butterley Engineering

The Falkirk Wheel, constructed by Derbyshire firm Butterley Engineering

IT always gives local people a boost when away from home to find someone familiar from their own neck of the woods making a significant contribution to something special.

So it wasn’t surprising that George Wride, of Allestree, felt tremendous pride, during a visit to Scotland, when he discovered that none other than Derbyshire company, Butterley Engineering, had constructed the Falkirk Wheel, a world-renowned engineering monument which has opened up canal navigation between the Scottish east and west coasts.

Built at Ripley and then transported north in 35 lorry loads, the Wheel is the world’s first rotating boat-lift.

It can raise and lower eight boats at the same time, 115 feet into the air – the height of eight double-decker buses – and has re-established coast-to-coast navigation for the first time in 40 years.

A spectacular centrepiece of the £84.5m Millennium link, it is part of the largest canal restoration project in British history, reconnecting the Union Canal with the Forth and Clyde Canal.

It has provided an innovative and dynamic solution to the age-old problem of transferring boats between levels that traditionally required a flight of 11 locks. And not only is it an exceptional feat of modern engineering, it is also an eye-catching, inspirational sculpture which attracts many visitors to the area just to look at it.

George travelled in a boat and used the lift during a holiday visit to Scotland. He says he was delighted to be told that it was first assembled at Ripley, then taken by lorry to the site which stands between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

“The skipper gave us a commentary about the history of this engineering achievement and, when he mentioned it had been built in Derbyshire, our party of five let out a great cheer. We, indeed, felt really proud just knowing that Derbyshire craftsmen had built this fantastic piece of engineering,” he said.

The design exploits the simplicity of physics, employing a minimum of energy to turn a phenomenal mass of water and steel with awe-inspiring grace and elegance.

Powered by 10 hydraulic motors that turn the two caissons, each of which accommodates up to four 20m long boats, it uses virtually no water and the same energy as two boiling kettles.

At first glance the Falkirk Wheel is said to resemble a vast open-air sculpture and tourism experts believe that the engineering marvel will become as much a Scottish icon as the Forth Bridge or Edinburgh Castle.

The Forth of Clyde Canal opened in 1773 with the Union Canal being built nearly half a century later. Locks were demolished years ago and houses built on the land so, for decades, there was no way through for traffic between the North Sea and the Atlantic until the Falkirk Wheel was created.

Visitors do not have to have their own vessels to experience the unique sensation of being airborne in a boat, because there are special 40-minute trips through the wheel. A viewing area provides a good vantage point for those remaining on dry land.

Butterley Ironworks was established by Benjamin Outram and William Jessop in 1790 and the pair engineered the Cromford Canal in 1793. At the peak of production, the company employed more than 4,000 people though, today, it is no longer a major employer in the area.

It has a proud history, over the centuries, of making a valuable contribution to numerous outstanding projects, one of the best known being the roof of St Pancras railway station in London. The ornate iron and glass structure, built by the company in 1866, is currently being restored to its former glory for next year’s opening of the Eurostar terminus there.

Pages linking here