John Sutch Cranes lifted one of Liverpool's oldest Liver Birds from the roof of Mersey Chambers on Thursday 1 October, using a Böcker AK 46/6000 truck-mounted crane set up in Old Churchyard.
The Victorian bird, known as the 'Third Liver Bird' or the 'Mother Bird', has looked out over Liverpool Parish Church and the Mersey since 1878. It is believed to be older than the famous pair on the Royal Liver Building.
Years of weather have left it rusted and its paint cracked, so the building's owner, Acorn Group, is having it restored.
Getting it down was the hard part. Old Churchyard is a narrow city-centre street, with the church gardens on one side and the scaffolded front of Mersey Chambers on the other.
Riggers on the roof and in a cherry picker slung the bird and freed it from its base. The Böcker then lifted it clear, swung it out over the scaffold and lowered it to the street, steadied all the way by a guide rope.
Mick Turner, technical sales representative at John Sutch Cranes, who arranged the lift, said: "Access was tight, and the historic York stone flags and a lamp post left us very little room to set the crane up. We chose the Böcker AK 46/6000 because it's the lightest crane in our fleet, and each of its outrigger legs can be set to a different length to suit the space around it.
"It also works by remote control, so our operator could stand up at the bird's perch with our riggers and keep the lift under full control. Like many historic statues, the Liver Bird is an iron frame with a thin copper skin, so it weighed only 65kg."
Danny Keating, chief operating officer at Acorn Group, said: "Everyone working on this project is local. Supporting local businesses has always been part of our strategy, and John Sutch has been involved with us for a few years."
Hayley Sutch, designate managing director of John Sutch Cranes, said: "Liverpool is our home town, so being trusted with one of its Liver Birds means a great deal to everyone at John Sutch. We'd love to be there when she goes back up."
After almost 150 years above the rooftops, the Mother Bird ended the day on the pavement, close enough for the team who brought it down to see every crack in the paint.
It will go back on its perch once the restoration is finished.
