Liverpool city centre was once home to a revolving restaurant with panoramic views across Merseyside.
St John's Beacon is one of the city's most iconic landmarks, which forms an important part of the skyline. Construction of the beacon began in 1965 and took nearly five years to complete.
Standing at 138 metres, the tower was the tallest building in Liverpool until the construction of the Beetham West Tower. The beacon's main purpose at first was to act as a ventilation shaft to the shopping centre below, but it became famous in the 1970s for its signature revolving restaurant.
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The Tower Restaurant will bring back fond memories for many people for the unusual dining experience it offered. Fascinating photos from the 1960s show workers constructing the building as windows of the revolving restaurant are fitted.
The ECHO was invited for a look around the restaurant in 1975, which was described as the "roundabout in the sky." Mr Ian Cobham, head chef at the restaurant at the time, said it sometimes felt as though he was working on a ship.
The article, dated November 1, 1975 said: "The restaurant windows are double glazed and through these it is possible to see on a clear day the Blackpool Tower and the Welsh mountains, including Snowdon.
"The restaurant can move in a complete circle at three speeds, according to the gears chosen. Still higher than the restaurant is the observation platform, where the public can walk in the wind and see the breathtaking views over Merseyside.
"Higher yet, is a water tank and the fans which help the air circulate in the St George's Hotel, far below."
The restaurant later closed in 1978 for health and safety reasons, but a viewing gallery remained open for visitors to marvel at the city from. It was re-opened with extra fire prevention measures as a Buck Rogers space-themed restaurant in 1983, but it didn't prove popular and was soon closed again.
The beacon lay empty and derelict for years and was considered to be an eyesore. In 1999, the tower underwent an extensive £5m refurbishment and reopened as the home of Radio City in 2000. In 2020, St Johns Beacon was awarded Grade II listed status, with Historic England describing how its design "embodies the technological bravura and spirit of the space age".
They added the building was: “A physical expression of popular culture at the time, representing a bold and optimistic 1960s vision of the future after the horrors of the Second World War ”.
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