County Police Communication Tower

The County Police Communication Tower stands in Aykley Heads, a suburb of Durham in North East England. It is a slender reinforced-concrete tripod mast built in 1968 to carry police radio equipment. The design was led by county architect J. L. Parnaby and the engineering firm Ove Arup and Partners. Its three legs and central upright were cast on site in white Portland cement and lifted into place by two large cranes. The completed structure weighs 50 tonnes and measures 49 metres from ground to the top spigot. The mast was praised in 1969 by the Concrete Society, which called it an elegant three-dimensional design. In 1978 it was honoured when the Prince of Wales was presented with a silver model. Historic England granted it grade II listed status in 2003, recognising it as a one-off example of post-war engineering. The mast once served Durham Constabulary’s headquarters on Old Elvet before the force moved to Aykley Heads in 1964. Today the dismantled components lie in open-air storage beside the new headquarters. Visitors can see the white concrete sections laid out on the ground. The site is quiet, with no public buildings or paths immediately adjacent. The mast’s spare parts remain a silent witness to the debates over conservation and reuse that continue in Durham.