John Sutch Cranes has helped build Liverpool city centre’s new Christmas tree, using one of its 40-tonne cranes to lift the 28m structure into place outside John Lewis at Liverpool One.
The work took place on Saturday 31 October, in the heart of one of the city’s busiest shopping districts.
The tree stands on an 11.3m base and was built from the top down. Rather than stacking sections from the ground up, the crane lifted each completed section into the air so the next one could be slotted in underneath.
The first frame, weighing 580kg, was lifted first. The crane then raised two joined sections weighing 1,690kg to make room for the next. The load kept building until the crane was holding 3,580kg before the base was fitted. The final lift was the apex, weighing 60kg.
The new tree replaces the Shooting Star that has stood on Paradise Street in previous years, and is designed so visitors can walk into the centre and look up through it.
It is far from the first time John Sutch Cranes has been called on at Christmas. The company has carried out tree lifts in Liverpool and Manchester for many years.
Mick Turner, Technical Sales Representative at John Sutch Cranes, said: “This was a bit different from our usual work and it drew plenty of interest from people passing by. Building a tree from the top down means every lift has to be steady and precise, because the load gets heavier each time a new section goes in underneath. Doing that in a busy city centre takes careful planning and a team that knows what it is doing.
“We have been helping put up Christmas trees in Liverpool and Manchester for years, so we were happy to do it again. It was a long shift for the team, but worth every minute for the city.”
John Sutch Cranes has been in the lifting industry for 37 years. It runs depots in Liverpool and Manchester and delivers nationwide, with a fleet in which no crane is older than 36 months.
To find out more, call the Liverpool depot on 0151 236 8880 or the Manchester depot on 0161 877 8004.
