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Repair work starts on city's 190-year-old chimney

John Bowness,in Carlisleand
Federica Bedendo,North East and Cumbria
BBC/John Bowness Rafferty Specialist Access Services' contracts director Carl Woodroffe standing at the bottom of Dixon's Chimney in Carlisle. He is wearing a hard hat and yellow hi-vis vest, over a blue jacket and black jeans. He is looking down at the camera. Dixon's Chimney is a red-brick structure with a hexagon shape. There are metal belts around the structure.BBC/John Bowness
Dixon's Chimney has stood tall above the skyline in Carlisle for almost 200 years

Work has started to repair a city's landmark, which has been a feature of the skyline for almost 200 years.

Dixon's Chimney in Carlisle is ready for repairs to cracks on the structure, the replacement of 150 cornerstone bricks and repointing work.

According to Historic England, Dixon's Chimney at Shaddon Mill was built in 1836 and named after the industrialist Peter Dixon, who operated the adjoining cotton plant.

Specialist contractors appointed by Cumberland Council are expected to be at the 270ft (82m) tower for about six months.

Rafferty Specialist Access Services' contracts director Carl Woodroffe said work on the Grade II*-listed chimney would be carried out with meticulous logs of all the changes and repairs, due to its historic importance.

"The work has got to be bang on. It's got to be done correctly," he said.

BBC/John Bowness Cornerstone bricks on one side of Dixon's Chimney in Carlisle. Dixon's Chimney is a red-brick structure and the cornerstone sections have larger bricks than the main structure.BBC/John Bowness
About 150 cornerstone bricks will be replaced

Staff will be using equipment including ropes, similar to those used in mountain climbing.

He said doing the work in the summer could be a pleasant experience.

"It's beautiful, it's peaceful, you don't hear much traffic, you look down on the surrounding area and some of the things you see are fantastic."

Dixon's chimney was previously restored by Carlisle City Council in 1999.

In 2019, a man died after climbing to the top of the chimney using temporary ladders put in place for maintenance work and then getting stuck.

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