Arqiva Tower is a Grade II listed building in the Kirklees local planning authority area, England. First listed on 26 March 2003. A 20th century Television mast. 6 related planning applications.
Arqiva Tower
- WRENN ID
- sombre-lantern-heron
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Kirklees
- Constituency
- Ossett and Denby Dale MP: Jade Botterill (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 26 March 2003
- Type
- Television mast
- Address
- Arqiva Tower, Jagger Lane, Emley Moor, Denby Dale, HD8 9TQ
- OS grid reference
- SE 222 128
- Coordinates
- 53.61207, -1.66444
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Arqiva Tower, formerly known as the ITV Broadcasting Tower, is a television mast located in Emley Moor, Denby Dale. It was constructed between 1969 and 1971 by Ove Arup and Partners for the Independent Television Authority. This slender tower is made of reinforced concrete and tapers from a base diameter of 24.4 meters (80 feet) to 6.5 meters (21 feet 3 inches) at the top. The concrete section stands 274 meters (900 feet) tall and is topped with an aerial casing that adds another 56 meters (184 feet), bringing the total height to 330 meters (1,084 feet). The wall thickness decreases from 533 millimeters (1 foot 9 inches) at the base to 350 millimeters (1 foot 1.5 inches) at the top. The design features a vertical curve that creates an elegant profile while accommodating the distribution of vertical bending moments. Upon completion, it became the tallest reinforced concrete structure in the United Kingdom.
The Emley Moor television tower was built to replace a steel guyed mast that collapsed at the site in 1969. Concrete was selected as the primary material for the new tower because it met the necessary specifications and was cost-effective. The aesthetic appeal of the tower was also a consideration, given its location in an environmentally sensitive moorland area. As noted in the Architectural Review, while the tower serves a technical purpose, it also acts as a tourist attraction and has a symbolic presence. In 1972, it received a Special Mention from the Concrete Society, recognized for its combination of technical performance and architectural elegance in its remarkable slenderness.
Local climate
Arqiva Tower receives an average of 950 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 73% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 64% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 45 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 87% of listed buildings. Of these, 26 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- Related listed building consents — 6 applications
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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