380kV Thames Crossing

The 380 kV Thames Crossing is an overhead power line crossing of the River Thames, at Greenhithe Marshes in Swanscombe, Kent, England. Its towers are the tallest electricity pylons in the UK.^{[citation needed]}

The Kent pylon seen from a distance

Detail of the Essex pylon

Detail of the Kent pylon

The present crossing was built in 1965, and comprises two 190-metre (623 feet) tall lattice towers either side of the Thames. Some suggest that the choice of this height was deliberate, being just taller than the BT Tower in London.^[1] The span is 1372 metres (4501 feet), the minimum height of the conductors over the river is 76 metres (249 feet). Each tower has three crossbars and is capable of carrying two circuits of 380 kV three-phase AC.

132 kV Thames Crossing

The 380 kV crossing replaced the earlier nearby 132 kV crossing, with towers 148.4 metres tall. Linking Dagenham and Crossness, it was built between 1927 and 1932 and dismantled in 1987.

2006 Death

In March 2006, Paul Smith-Crallan attempted to BASE jump from a platform on the Swanscombe pylon. The parachute he was using is believed to have failed to open, causing him to plunge to his death. The pylon is a popular base jumping location because of two platforms that provide good launch points.^[2]

See also

• 380kV Forth Crossing
• Aust Severn Powerline Crossing
• List of spans
• Powerline river crossings in the United Kingdom
• Crossings of the River Thames

References

• Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society: News December 2002
• Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society: News February 2003
• Diagram of the towers on Skyscraperpage.com

Coordinates: 51°27′44.06″N 0°18′21.19″E / 51.4622389°N 0.3058861°E / 51.4622389; 0.3058861