Grimsby Dock Tower

Grimsby Dock Tower
Pevsner says "THE DOCK TOWER, 1851-2 by J.W.Wild, is the most memorable building in Grimsby, a beacon for many miles...inspired by Siena Town Hall, but the crowning minaret is oriental. It was built as part of the hydraulic system to open the lock gates and operate cranes, the first major dock to use hydraulic power for this purpose. Of red brick, 309ft tall, taller than Lincoln Cathedral, it rises in an unbroken line to the corbelled-out top, surmounted by a further section again with a corbelled-out top...".

Note that the Grimsby tower isn't a hydraulic accumulator (it's in the category because it's an important part of their history). Towers such as Grimsby achieved high pressures simply by their height, expensive though these were to construct. It was soon realised that a pressurised cistern with a heavy iron or concrete weight on it gave the same results, at much less cost.

Photo taken from the footbridge on the A180 flyover.