Pride of Anglia - Ipswich Town Football Club
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Floodlight Towers at Portman Road
When it was decided that the Parent Club should have the pleasure and advantage of Floodlit Football, the designing and planning began, this accomplished, construction was the next step to be taken.
While the steelwork was being fabricated, the work to the bases was also under way.
The foundations for the Towers consisted of four independent bases to each Tower, each base measuring eight feet square by six feet deep.
On completion of the excavations of the bases, came the accuracy of setting in position sixteen number bolts four to each base, and the method adopted for this operation was by suspended frames until the concrete was placed, when the initial set had taken place the frames were removed, leaving the bases ready to receive the steel construction.
It is interesting to note that each base averaged 14 cubic yards of concrete, and that 80 tons was placed for each Tower. Before the bases were completed the Steel Contractors moved in and commenced erection, this proceeded with great speed and one must congratulate them on their very fine performance.
On completion of the erection came the installation of the floodlights which consisted of trench excavation completely round the ground for the purpose of the cable to supply the power, at all four positions. After this work had been carried out the Electrical Engineers commenced to install the electrical installation which included lighting to all parts of the ground, operating from the new switch room, with the power taken to the top of the towers and the floodlights connected up, a further decision had to be taken into consideration the problem of protecting the towers from the weather element and it was decided after a full discussion, owing to the ground being in the centre of an industrial area an anti-corrosion material should be applied, after a thorough clean down to the bare metal, with a further sealing coat as a final protection.
Each tower is 100 feet high, with 30 lights on each. The whole cost was borne by the Supporters' Association and the switch on was performed by Lady Blanche Cobbold on Tuesday, February 16th, 1960, when we played Arsenal and beat them 4-0.
From the 1960-61 Supporters Handbook
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