May 7, 2023
The renovated Hydraulic Tower at Everton Stadium is visible for the first time after scaffolding was stripped back from the upper levels.
The Grade II listed Tower and Engine Room, built in 1883, have been hidden beneath a cloak of steelwork since early in the build, to protect from vibrations caused by the compacting of the sand used to infill the former dock and provide the foundations for the stadium.
Since then the buildings, which formed an integral part of daily life during the dock's heyday, have been lovingly restored to former glories brick-by-brick.
That has included painstakingly rebuilding the former station master's office on the first floor by salvaging, or carefully sourcing colour-matched bricks - in conjunction with the heritage consultant and Liverpool City Council - to help replicate the original look.
A timber roof is now being added, while a new zinc roof has been manufactured for the engine house chimney.
Internal works are continuing, ensuring the restoration of the tower is both sympathetic to its past and sustainable for its, as yet undetermined, future use.
Protecting the tower - which originally contained the steam engine to operate the locks at Bramley-Moore and also pumped water from one part of the dock to another - has always been a priority, given its huge importance to the site and a focal point of the fan plaza that will eventually provide fans with a jaw-dropping entrance to the stadium site.
Meanwhile, another retained aspect of the former dock – the retaining wall - can be seen for the first time within the stadium.
Part of the unique nature of the project sees the existing walls of the infilled dock incorporated into the final design, with the surface visible within parts of the stadium upon completion.
The exposed stonework can now be seen in the emerging north stand, where it will provide a historic nod to the past for supporters entering the turnstiles.
Externally, the two rainwater harvesting tanks, located underground between the east stand and the Hydraulic Tower, are now close to being encased in concrete.
One submerged, a concrete slab at ground level will complete the installation process, after which the filled tanks can be used to flush toilets on site and water the pitch.
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