Medieval London church lifted into the sky as office is built underneath

"A medieval church tower in London was lifted 45ft above the ground to make way for a new skyscraper. Footage taken on Tuesday (23 September) shows the more than 700-year-old Tower of All Hallows Staining Church balancing on stilts above the construction site on 50 Fenchurch Street. A 1bn office tower for French insurer Axa will be built right next to the church, which will be the centrepiece of a new public square once reinstalled."

"More than 125,000 tonnes of earth were removed from underneath the Grade I-listed building to make way for the 650,000 square foot office skyscraper. Rob Samuel, Head of Development at AXA Investment Managers, said the excavation works around the church are a never-seen-before feat of engineering."

On 23 September a medieval church tower in London was lifted 45ft above the ground to allow construction of a new skyscraper. The more than 700-year-old Tower of All Hallows Staining Church was balanced on stilts above the construction site at 50 Fenchurch Street. A 1bn, 650,000 square foot office tower for French insurer Axa will be built adjacent to the church. More than 125,000 tonnes of earth were removed from beneath the Grade I-listed building to make space for the development. The church will be reinstalled as the centrepiece of a new public square once works are complete. Excavation works around the church are described as a never-seen-before feat of engineering.

Read at www.independent.co.uk