The week the 'tower flew'

By our Heritage Correspondent

How many readers remember the wartime helipad platform that was built on the clock tower as part of ‘Operation Triangle’?

Not many people know that during the final, desperate year of the war, a temporary structure was put in place for just one week – but it played a vital role during the closing months of WWII.

Temporary structure. Click for larger version

It came not very long after the world’s first practical helicopter took flight at Stratford, Connecticut.

And it’s rumoured that Churchill himself may have visited the Triangle site in 1945.

It’s also thought highly likely that the weight of the aircraft may be to blame for the tower’s slight tilt – still noticeable today.

Residents are now campaigning for a Blue Plaque to commemorate the site’s special use.

We’d love to hear from anyone who can share memories of ‘the week the tower flew’.

Cobden Bridge Residents’ Assn (Heritage Committee) were contacted for further comment.