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Video of Steetley landmark demolition
IT WAS a case of 'now you see it, now you don't' when a Steetley landmark was razed to the ground last Friday.
The towering 42–metre high concrete silo on the former Baker Refractory site came tumbling down in just seconds.
Explosives which had been packed into the crumbling building's base reduced the structure to rubble – breaking one of the last links of the site's heavy industrial past.
Nearby resident Chris Tory, of Mansfield Road, was getting ready in the bathroom when he heard the almighty bang.
"You couldn't see the site for dust," he said.
"I was disappointed as I'd been wanting to see the demolition for a long time, but didn't know when it was going to happen. But I definitely heard the bang and dashed out with my camera. It looked like a plane wreck."
The tower, which was once used for the dry storage of raw materials for the brickworks, was one of the few remaining structures on the site which will undergo a major transformation over the next 12 months.
Construction bosses Laing O'Rourke have received the green light to build a cast concrete manufacturing plant which will create up to 270 new jobs when it's at full tilt.
The project also includes the construction of a new road into the site off the A619.
John Thompson, of Darfoulds Nursery, has lived locally for more than 60 years and said he was delighted to see the end of the silo.
"This site has served the community well in the past, but over the last few years it has been nothing but an eyesore," he said.
"It's time to move on. I'm looking forward to seeing it transformed and creating the skilled jobs which we need so badly around here."
Ken Barthorpe of St Anne's Drive, Worksop, worked for Baker Refractories for 45 years.This week he remembered how the now–demolished silo came into use in 1957, following a major refurbishment of the site which was originally established 20 years prior to that.
"It was a sad day to see the last of the old firm go, but a happy day in that the site is going to be used again in the future," he said.
Visit www.steetleyfuture.co.uk for further information on Laing O'Rourke's plans for the Steetley site and submit your views.
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Weather for Worksop
Sunday 12 February 2012
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Temperature: 3 C to 6 C
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