Royal Wedding Fever Reaches New Heights

A 55 tonne all terrain crane, operated by Hewden, the national, multi-product hire specialist, has assisted with preparations for the royal wedding, ensuring that the estimated 18.3m UK viewers have front row seats for the big day.

A full contract lift service was supplied from Hewden's Dartford depot to Tothill Street, London, opposite Westminster Abbey, to help raise a temporary television studio into place ready for the broadcasting of the day's events on April 29th, when Prince William and Kate Middleton will marry.

Tothill Street's location, at the heart of one of the world's busiest cities, provided Hewden's skilled crane team with a testing challenge to safely and efficiently lift the studio within the confines of the street.

The lift began at 4:00am to minimise any disruption to the popular tourist area. Meticulous planning and a full risk assessment was carried out beforehand, with steel plates being laid down to support the crane and avoid potential damage to the road and tube line that runs beneath Tothill Street.

As the studio was delivered in segments and built in situ, a number of consecutive lifts were required to ensure a successful installation.

Gary Lawrence, crane operator for Hewden comments: "It's not everyday that we are called upon to assist with the preparations for a royal wedding.

"We are in a busy tourist area in the heart of the capital, so a lot of skill and precision was required to successfully lift the studio into place and keep disruption to an absolute minimum."