A 700-year-old church tower has been suspended 45 feet above ground in an unprecedented engineering feat in the City of London. The medieval tower of All Hallows Staining Church now sits balanced on stilts above a massive excavation site at 50 Fenchurch Street.
Developers described the engineering achievement as something "never seen before" as they work around the historic structure. The tower hovers above a 60,000 square foot construction pit where workers have removed more than 125,000 tonnes of earth.
Major construction milestone reached
A special "bottoming out" ceremony took place on Tuesday to mark the completion of the excavation phase. The enormous dig has cleared space for what will become a 650,000 square foot office development spanning 36 storeys.
The construction project will eventually reunite the suspended church tower with ground level once the basement levels are complete. The historic structure will then form part of a new green public space within the development.
Project completion targeted for 2028
The ambitious 50 Fenchurch Street development is scheduled for completion in 2028. Howard Dawber, deputy mayor of London for business and growth, attended Tuesday's ceremony to mark the construction milestone.
"Fifty Fenchurch Street is a remarkable project and I am delighted to attend this unique ceremony that marks a significant construction milestone for this 36-storey flagship development," Dawber said. "Development projects like this one in the City of London highlight our capital's position as a world-leading destination for leading businesses to invest."
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
