Pictures show work to demolish Faraday Tower continues

These pictures show the work to demolish an iconic Southampton building is well underway.

Lorries and machinery were seen at the site of Faraday Tower as the work to take it down continues.

Civic chiefs approved the plans to demolish the University of Southampton building in January 2021, but preparatory works did not begin until mid-2023.

READ MORE: University of Southampton's Faraday Tower demolition begins

The tower was built in the early 1960s to house the university’s engineering department and is known for its Brutalist design with foundations much narrower than its upper floor.

On Thursday morning, workers were hard at work at the site, with a section of a building surrounding the tower partially demolished.

As previously reported, the University’s Head of Estates and Facilities Kevin Argent had said they had to “overcome some significant challenges on the site relating to existing underground infrastructure".

However, he added: "I would like to thank everyone located on the western side of Highfield Campus for their ongoing patience and support”.

The building was the creation of Scottish architect Basil Spence, and by the end of the 1960s it housed the first professional-standard clean room in any university in the country, enabling it to process silicon technology.

According to the university, the Electrical Engineering Department originally wanted it named the Maxwell Building in honour of James Clerk Maxwell, father of the theory of electromagnetism.

But this name was vetoed by the Dean, who worried people would think the University was linked with controversial publisher Robert Maxwell.

Famed scientist Michael Faraday was seen as a safer bet.