Controlled explosion demolishes Leicester chimney
A 115-foot tall industrial chimney in Leicester was demolished on the weekend in a controlled explosion.
The chimney, on the site of the former British United Shoe Machinery (BUSM) works in Belgrave, was demolished at 11am on Saturday in an explosion that was watched by hundreds of local people and many former workers at the site.
An exclusion zone was set up around the site while the demolition took place. The residents of the 26 homes that fell within the zone were evacuated while the work took place.
The button that ignited the explosives was pressed by a former BUSM apprentice, Tom Keville, who worked at the factory 47 years ago and won the chance to push the plunger after bidding £1,700 for it in a charity auction.
The 62-year-old, who now runs his own construction company, told the Leicester Mercury that it was a “bitter-sweet moment”.
“It was quite exciting but I think I was the calmest person out there,” he said. “All I had to do was press two buttons and my job was done.”
The BUSM factory was at one time the biggest producer of footwear manufacturing machinery in the world, and employed more than 4,500 people.
