News spread quickly when it was announced that another North Nottinghamshire landmark was to disappear on Thursday 14th August at 11.00am. This was the scheduled time for the demolition of the cooling towers at Cottam Power Station.
Construction of the power station began in 1964, with operations starting in 1968. Since then, the eight 114-metre (375ft) high cooling towers had dominated the skyline, visible from Dunham Bridge and many surrounding villages and roads in the flat landscape. Their intended 30-year life span stretched to 61 years, meaning many local people had never known the view without them.
The site closed in 2019 and several phases of demolition have since taken place. The cooling towers, however, were the most visible part of the site, and their destruction was described by contractors as the largest simultaneous demolition of cooling towers ever carried out.
Members of Snappers Camera Club were alerted to the event a week in advance, with several scouting the area to find the best vantage points. On the day, many gathered in Rampton, while others positioned themselves on the opposite side of the Trent near Torksey.
Members who reached Rampton headed to a recently harvested field crossed by a public footpath, joining hundreds of spectators to enjoy an uninterrupted view. The vast field gave everyone space to spread out, capturing their own special record of the moment. The weather was perfect, with a light breeze carrying dust away from the crowds, while light cloud in an otherwise blue sky provided an ideal photographic backdrop.
The demolition itself was over in seconds. In just six, the towers fell from proud giants to piles of rubble, hidden behind a stand of trees. Dust rose into the summer sky, but was quickly contained, leaving little trace that anything had happened.
For more information, visit http://www.snappers.org.uk.