BT Telecoms Tower, Stoke Park, Bristol, England arp

Purdown BT Tower, also known as Purdown Transmitter (sometimes written as ''Pur Down''), is a 70.1 metres (230 ft) tall telecommunications tower in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Built in 1970 for the

British Telecom microwave network The British Telecom microwave network was a network of point-to-point microwave radio links in the United Kingdom, operated at first by the General Post Office, and subsequently by its successor BT plc. From the late 1950s to the 1980s it provided a ...

, it is now used to transmit radio and provide mobile phone coverage. The tower is located on a hill,

Purdown Purdown (sometimes spelt Pur Down) is a hill in the north east of Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire t ...

, in Stoke Park in the

Lockleaze Lockleaze is an area and council ward in the northern suburbs of the city of Bristol, England, north of the city centre, south of Filton, east of Horfield and west of Frenchay. Lockleaze is a residential area of social housing built on the ...

suburb, about north of the city centre. It is a prominent landmark visible from many areas of the city, and from major transport routes on the approach to the city, including the M32 motorway and

Filton Bank Filton Bank is the name given to a section of the Bristol to Birmingham line in Bristol, England, roughly between and stations. Description The line runs from Dr Days Junction where the Great Western Main Line branches off from the Bristo ...

railway. The tower is recorded as a Valued Landmark by Bristol City Council, and it has been featured in locally-produced media, such as the opening sequence of TV series Skins (2008). It is one of fourteen reinforced concrete towers owned by BT in the UK.

History

A temporary steel-lattice tower was built on the site in 1961, ready for the commencement of the GPO (later to become BT) microwave network, which used a network of point-to-point microwave links. The reinforced concrete tower was built in 1969-71, using a design modified from the GPO's "Chilterns type", pioneered at the

Stokenchurch BT Tower Stokenchurch BT Tower is a telecommunications tower built of reinforced concrete at Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire, England. Reaching to above mean sea level, it dates from 1963 and is tall.http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/public/index.php%3Foptio ...

. Much of the BT microwave network became redundant after the rollout of fibreoptic infrastructure, and, like many other BT towers in the 2000s, the redundant dishes were removed from Purdown in 2008.

Current uses

As of 2022, the tower remains in the ownership of BT, with space leased to various companies for broadcast and mobile communications infrastructure.

Arqiva Arqiva () is a British telecommunications company which provides infrastructure, broadcast transmission and smart meter facilities in the United Kingdom. The company is headquartered at the former Independent Broadcasting Authority headquarters ...

use the tower to broadcast BBC and commercial radio on FM and DAB to the city.https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/77072/dso_11b_bristol_bath_dab_v11.pdf

Analogue radio (VHF FM)

Digital radio (DAB)

In popular culture

The tower played a prominent part in the series finale of

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...

's 2016 drama series ''

Thirteen Thirteen or 13 may refer to: * 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14 * One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013 Music * 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band Albums * ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013 * ...

'', starring

Jodie Comer Jodie Marie Comer ( ; born 11 March 1993) is an English actress who rose to global prominence for her role as Oksana Astankova / Villanelle in the BBC America spy thriller ''Killing Eve'' (2018–2022). She has received various accolades inc ...

References

External links

Purdown Transmitter pictures on Flickr
{{BT Group Communication towers in the United Kingdom Towers in Bristol British Telecom buildings and structures Buildings and structures in Bristol Transmitter sites in England