A controlled explosion is a way of tower block demolition, as well as the demolition of other tall structures. It is now widely accepted as the safest form of demolition in tower blocks.
For safety, the building is completely stripped of inner walls, windows and balcony railings. This preparation can take weeks or months. Electricity, gas and heat supplies are discontinued. Fencing is erected around the site to prevent unauthorized persons from entering. This is sometimes guarded at night. Explosives are strategically placed within the shell of the building, and these are detonated in a rhythmic fashion so that the structure will collapse in a particular way. Most of the time, the explosives are detonated to make the tower block collapse in on itself, reducing the risk of flying debris.
Such detonations are usually carried out on Sundays or bank holidays when there will be less inconvenience to local infrastructure. In early years, people have been killed in demolitions for example at Queen Elizabeth Square where an old lady was hit by debris. Some people have also reportedly committed suicide by remaining in the block during detonation.
List of controlled explosions[]
1979[]
- September 30: Oak Gardens and Eldon Gardens, Birkenhead
1981[]
- September 27: Fairbourne House, Rochester
1985[]
- November 3: Northaird Point, Trowbridge Estate, Hackney, London (failed as the top 11 floors were left standing, so the rest of the building was demolished by a wrecking ball)
1986[]
- September 7: Highworth Point, Trowbridge Estate, Hackney, London
- September 7: Morden Court and Queen Court, Troy Town, Rochester
1987[]
- October 4: Wishford Point, Trowbridge Estate, Hackney, London
1989[]
- February 26: Grantley House, Pendrell House, and Dunford House, Chelmsley Wood, Solihull
1990[]
- June 3: Embdem Court, Tameside
- October 14: Browning House, Burns House, Chaucer Court, John Bacon Court, Jonson House, Keats Court, Milton House, and Shakespeare House, Kersal flats, Salford
1991[]
- September 8: Teviot Bank House and Tweedsmuir House, Niddrie, Edinburgh (failed as both blocks remained standing and both were brought down six lours later by a giant hydraulic ram called Big Willie)
1992[]
- June 14: 240 Roystonhill, Roystonhill, Royston, Glasgow
- September 13: Atlee House, Chamberlain House, Churchill House, Eden House, and Macmillan House, Lee Park, Liverpool
1993[]
- March 28: 30 Bogany Terrace, Castlemilk, Glasgow
- April 4: Croxhall Tower and Mill Tower, RD Site No.4, Smethwick
- September 12: 2 Queen Elizabeth Square and 16-32 Queen Elizabeth Square, Queen Elizabeth Square, Hutchesontown, Gorbals, Glasgow (a 61 year old woman, Helen Tinney, was killed by flying debris from the demolition)
1995[]
- June 4: Hannington Point, Hilmarton Point, and Deverill Point, Trowbridge Estate, Hackney, London
- June 18: Scotscraig Court, Troon Court, and Wentworth Court, Ardler, Dundee
- November 19: Blades House and Dugdale House, Charlemont Farm, West Bromwich
1996[]
- February 11: Murcar Court, Pannal Court, and Prestwick Court, Ardler, Dundee
- June 2: Waverley Court, Foxbar, Paisley
- August 18: Bridge Court, Riddins estate, Cradley Heath
- October 13: Raeburn, Herdings, Sheffield
- November 17: Churchill House, Charlemont Farm, West Bromwich
1997[]
- May 18: Malthouse Point and Sandfield Point, West Smethwick RDA, Smethwick
- June 8: East Bank and Jervis, Norfolk Park, Sheffield
1998[]
- July 26: Farnell Point, Nightingale Estate, Hackney, London
1999[]
- July 18: Prince of Wales Court and Millfield Court, Eve Hill, Dudley
- August 8: Fitzalan, Granville, and Howard, Norfolk Park, Sheffield
- September 26: Altview Heights, Liverpool
- November 7: Guildford and Shrewsbury, Norfolk Park, Sheffield
2000[]
- February 20: Barkway Court, Kings Crescent Estate, Hackney, London
- May 14: Harefield Court and Kilspindie Court, Foggyley Gardens, Dundee
- May 21: Foley House, Oldbury
- August 20: Storrington Heys I, Storrington Heys II, and Storrington Heys III, Storrington Heys, Liverpool
- October 29: Longleat Tower and Charlecote Tower, Lee Bank, Birmingham
- December 3: Southerland Point and Embley Point, Nightingale Estate, Hackney, London
2001[]
- January 14: Valley Views, Childwall, Liverpool
- April 22: Hattersley Court, Honiton Court, Underwood Court, and Waterside Court, Hattersley, Tameside
- April 29: Cliffe and Talbot, Norfolk Park, Sheffield
- May 6: Mile Oak Court and Victoria Court, Soho RDA, Smethwick
- July 15: Romsley Court and Wychbury Court, Dudley
- October 21: Barrie House, South Acton Estate, Ealing, London
- November 4: Beechview and Bankside, Norfolk Park, Sheffield
2002[]
- January 20: Antrim House and Cavan House, Monteith Estate, Tower Hamlets, London
- February 3: 40 Millerfield Road and 50 Millerfield Road, Millerfield, Dalmarnock, Glasgow
- February 24: Sandridge Court, Kings Crescent Estate, Hackney, London
- May 12: Kenley Close, Sheil Park, Liverpool
- July 14: Drake House, Mildane Block 1, and Mildane Block 3, Orchard Park Estate, Hull
- July 21: Yeamans Court and Sharps Court, Lochee, Dundee
- August 4: Brooks Tower and Wiggin Tower, Newtown, Aston, Birmingham
- August 25: Cobden House, Cobden Lane RDA, Wolverhampton
- September 8: St. Fabian Tower, Chingford Hall Estate, London
- October 13: Willowdene, Croxteth, Liverpool
- October 20: Ryder House, West Bromwich
- October 27: Chatsworth Tower, Lee Bank, Birmingham
2003[]
- May 25: Whitfield Court and Quarryfield Court, Whitfield, Dundee
- June 8: Watts Point, Brooks Estate, London
- August 17: Princethorpe Tower, Highgate, Birmingham
- September 14: Caldwell House, St John's House, and Willis House, Lyng, West Bromwich
- November 30: Rachel Point and Rathbone Point, Nightingale Estate, Hackney, London
2004[]
- January 11: Mickley, Norfolk Park, Sheffield
- February 8: Flint Tower, Ladywood, Birmingham
- April 25: Greenfield Court and Kellyfield Court, Whitfield, Dundee
- June 27: Vernon House, Orchard Park Estate, Hull
- September 26: Cawdor Court, Downfield Court, and Edzell Court, Ardler, Dundee
- October 17: Sutton House, Salford
- November 21: Chillinghome Tower, Bromford Bridge, Birmingham
- December 12: Heriot Court, Marmion Court, and Montrose Court, Foxbar, Paisley
2005[]
- March 13: Linosa Close, Sheil Park, Liverpool
- April 17: Capelaw Court, Comiston, Oxgangs, Edinburgh
- April 24: Grange, Norfolk Park, Sheffield
- May 15: Corinth Tower, Everton, Liverpool
- November 27: Crichton Court, Carnbooth Court, Netherton Court, Caithkin Court, and Castleton Court, Mitchellhill, Castlemilk, Glasgow
2006[]
- February 5: Clyde Tower, Aston, Birmingham
- February 19: Cheshire House, Smethwick
- February 26: 474 Old Rutherglen Road and 487 Cumberland Street, Hutchesontown Area D, Hutchesontown, Gorbals, Glasgow
- July 23: Haddon Tower, Lee Bank, Birmingham
- November 26: Allermuir Court and Caerketton Court, Comiston, Oxgangs, Edinburgh
2007[]
- January 21: 24 Crossbank Road, Prospecthill Circus, Toryglen, Glasgow
- March 18: Hamilton House, Cape Hill, Smethwick
- June 24: Baberton Court, Barassie Court, and Carnoustie Court, Ardler, Dundee
- July 1: 131 Allan Street, Millerfield, Dalmarnock, Glasgow
- September 9: 4 Millerfield Place, Millerfield, Dalmarnock, Glasgow
2008[]
- May 18: 15 Forge Place, Coll Place, Germiston, Glasgow
- June 1: 40 Stirlingfauld Place and 45 Stirlingfauld Place, Stirlingfauld Place, Laurieston, Gorbals, Glasgow
- July 13: Eagle Heights and Barony Heights, Fountainwell, Sighthill, Springburn, Glasgow
- July 13: West Court, Woodneuk Court, and Millarston Court, Millarston, Ferguslie, Paisley
- July 20: 12 Riverford Road and 21 Riverbank Street, Shawbridge Corridor, Pollokshaws, Glasgow
- September 21: Broomview House, Sighthill, Edinburgh
2009[]
- August 30: 124 Shawbridge Street and 142 Shawbridge Street, Shawbridge Corridor, Pollokshaws, Glasgow
- October 25: Fala Court, Soutra Court, and Garvald Court, Gracemount, Edinburgh
- November 29: Tennant Heights, Phoenix Heights, and St Rollox Heights, Fountainwell, Sighthill, Springburn, Glasgow
2010[]
- June 27: Kincairne Court and Sandeman Court, Kincardine
- October 3: 66 Norfolk Court, Norfolk Court, Laurieston, Gorbals, Glasgow
2011[]
- February 20: Octavia Court, Greenock
- May 15: 15 Coll Place, Coll Place, Germiston, Glasgow
- July 31: Carnegie Tower, Jamaica Tower, Maxwellton Tower, and Wellington Tower, Alexander Street, Dundee
- September 25: Glenalmond Court, Hermiston Court, and Weir Court, Sighthill, Edinburgh
- November 20: Glencairn Tower, Motherwell
2012[]
- April 29: Chantry, Jordanthorpe Estate, Sheffield
- June 10: 153 Petershill Drive, Red Road, Glasgow
- July 29: Bridgeman House, Orchard Park Estate, Hull
- September 2: Normansell Tower, Nechells, Aston, Birmingham
2013[]
- March 10: Melrose Court, Peebles Court, and Selkirk Court, Belleville, Greenock
- March 10: Ramsay Court, Kincardine
- May 5: 21 Birnie Court, Red Road, Glasgow
- June 30: Bucklemaker Court and Butterburn Court, Derby Street, Dundee
- July 21: 170 Sandiefield Road and 200 Sandiefield Road, Hutchesontown Area E, Hutchesontown, Gorbals, Glasgow
- August 11: Ashthorpe and Mildane, Orchard Park Estate, Hull
- September 1: 14 Shaftesbury Street, St Vincent Terrace, Anderston, Glasgow
- December 1: 20 Rosemount Street, Roystonhill, Royston, Glasgow
2014[]
- March 2: Falcon Court, Bold Street, Trafford
- October 26: Cornwall Tower, Boulton, Birmingham
2015[]
- March 8: Highcourt, Orchard Park Estate, Hull
- September 20: 20 Tarfside Oval, 60 Tarfside Oval, and 80 Tarfside Oval, Tarfside Oval, Mosspark, Glasgow
- October 11: 123 Petershill Drive, 33 Petershill Drive, 63 Petershill Drive, 93 Petershill Drive, 10 Red Road Court, and 10 Petershill Court, Red Road, Glasgow (10 Red Road Court and 123 Petershill Drive failed to completely fall and were both eventually demolished using a high reach excavator)
- November 15: Hawick Court, Belleville, Greenock
2016[]
- May 8: 5 Norfolk Court, Norfolk Court, Laurieston, Gorbals, Glasgow
- May 22: 40 Rosemount Street, Roystonhill, Royston, Glasgow
- July 31: Walter Robinson Court, Elizabeth Court, and Churchill Court, Laycock Gate, Blackpool