Meet Samson. He’s an old steam crane that many of you are used to passing on your way to and from Crest Nicholson’s residential redevelopment of a former riverside industrial site in Bath.
However this old relic is an important symbol of what went before on this land. It’s a product of the Stothert and Pitt factory that once occupied much of this site. A local firm that was world-famous for its dockside cranes.
Important enough to be saved and repositioned alongside the Crest-Nicholson transformation of what had become a derelict site.
The man who led efforts to secure this piece of local industrial ‘sculpture’ is Bryan Chalkler – ex-councillor, Mayor of Bath and B&NE’s Heritage champion, who is well known for his promotion of the city’s industrial past.
With the help of many volunteers and commercial support, he has now led by example in getting down to the task – with a group of volunteers – of repainting the crane.
It’s been a difficult – but rewarding – job. Bryan’s pleased people have endorsed his decision to anthropomorphise crane no 312 with a proper name – as he explained to Bath Newseum.
Here’s a top-end shot taken by Peter Dickinson from the platform of a cherry picker platform – brought in so that the stalwart volunteers can finish cleaning and then re-painting the jib.
Here’s a piece Alistair Rzeznicki of Sunflower Film and Creative Agency did for Crest Nicholson just recently.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEhs5CpHIS8&t=3s
