[Working on the Foundations]

The question of the 'tilt' required a long-term decision. Should the Albert Clock be straightened, or left leaning at its angle, but stabilised? The engineers were satisfied that they could reverse the lean, but the cost would, be prohibitive and it was decided to leave Belfast's landmark tower listing as before.

Stephen Lockwood led the team of engineers from Doran Consulting. The engineering element of the restoration depended on expertise, precision, good judgment and the latest technology. It was not without its share of drama. Stephen Lockwood had worked on the Albert Clock before, following bomb arracks He knew it to be a sound structure, well formed with heavy cast iron beams and columns at the upper level. He respected Barre's expertise as an engineer; in Barre's time architects handled all the work now assigned to specialist professions.

The problem was not in the design, but in the sub-soils. Stephen Lockwood liked to refer to the angle of the tower as 'settlement' rather than 'list'. Built on soggy reclaimed ground, above the course of the River Farset, the weight of the tower (2,000 tonnes) was simply too great, but because it was technically well constructed with a broad base, it merely 'settled'. This is a problem common to many Belfast buildings as far south as Great Victoria Street and architects and engineers have become experts in re-piling old structures. Stephen Lockwood had recently completed a sensitive restoration scheme on one of Barre's other Belfast buildings, the former Provincial Bank at Castle Place, He considered that if Barre had been able to use longer piles, the problem would not have arisen. As it was, Barre's choice was confined to larch, which grew tall and straight but to a length limited by nature. When the site was excavated these piles proved to be in reasonable condition.

Key to the engineering project was a system of meticulous monitoring. Major excavations to the base were essential, and it was necessary to keep a constant guard on the stability of the tower. An electro-level (really an electronic spirit level) mmeasured any movement at the top of the structure to 0.lmm, and the gauge was consulted with vigilant regularity, especially during the critical period of excavation, which coincided at the time the clock, might expect to be a focus of attention - the eve of the millennium.

The first phase, the underpinning works was tendered, and the contract awarded to McCallan Bros, from Carrickmore, Co. Tyrone.

A practical problem appeared immediately. At such a busy junction in the centre of a city, there was inevitably a myriad of service pipes and cables. A 33,000 volt cable must be avoided, otherwise half the city would be shut down. In one section the piles came within l00mm of live cables and a protective steel shutter was introduced. The area around the gas main was dug by hand.

At the first stage a new support system of steel sheet piles was introduced, ready for the exposure of the original pile foundation of the tower, back filling the area around the clock with small stone and providing a protective collar. The next stage was crucial to the stability of the clock, as excavation removed the material surrounding the larch piles to a depth of 3.5m. There was considerable anxiety when the sensitive south-east corner of the tower was exposed, and indeed a small movement did occur, but it was well within the expected range.

The new piling system was now ready to be introduced. A continuous flight auger was employed in preference to the more usual pile-driver method, to minimise disturbance to the base and structure of the building. In this method, piles are formed by drilling an auger into the ground and on reaching the required depth, pumping concrete down the hollow stem as the auger is steadily withdrawn. The sequence was carefully planned to limit disturbance around the critical south-east corner, so that the contractor was able to get the concrete in just at the right time. The new foundation was strengthened by thousands of heavy steel rods meshed together to form the structure of a massive new concrete apron on which the Clock would sit.

The excavation and drilling work was delayed by the occasional obstruction. Large boulders (possibly inserted in an earlier attempt to stabilise the structure) had to be removed. Because of the concern about the stability of the tower much of this work had to be carried out by hand, using chains to remove large stones, with men often working in the wet, dark 'sleech' in the structure's foundations, sometimes labouring like miners on their backs. As in so many elements of the restoration of the 'Albert', handwork played an important part and the project team were regularly impressed with the interest taken by all those involved with the restoration. Stephen Lockwood was often asked by the men doing the practical work at the foot of the clock for updates on the electronic measurements of 'tilt' at the top.