to be stripped down, even in this state they were only just under the crane's maximum load capacity. The ability to lift dishes was dependent on the weather and to complicate matters, the steel rails only went to the bottom of the first aerial gallery. To get the dishes higher a steel cable system was used that was mounted on poles. When the trolley reached the aerial gallery it had to be disconnected from the rails and swung out to attach to the cables. In August 2003, the tower was painted an ultramarine blue to cover the existing light brown which had started to discolour. The balconies were painted a dark shade of blue. On 18 March 2004, local comedian Jasper Carrott switched on the night-time illuminations of the tower in response to Birmingham City Council's policy of encouraging the illumination of local landmarks. The tower is home to a pair of peregrines, with a webcam installed in 2010. On 5 February 2012, the last of the large analogue aerial dishes was removed following a migration to digital transmission. Around eighty smaller dishes remain. In 2020, scaffolding surrounded the tower as the structure underwent some refurbishments. These improvements included removing older satellites and antennas that were no longer in use. This subsequently reduced the height of the overall tower from 152m to 140m. The refurbishment was completed in May 2022. Floors There are 24 equipment height floors ( in height), a Band Branching area (Floor 25) – the square section seen from outside, which is approximately double the normal floor height, followed by five aerial galleries. Floor numbering used YBMR/A followed by the actual floor number +1, i.e. the Ground Floor was YBMR/A1 etc. The aerial galleries were labelled YBMR/B1-5. See also List of tallest buildings and structures in Birmingham Anchor Exchange References External links Skyscrapernews.com's entry BT Tower Peregrine webcam Birmingham's Hidden Spaces: BT Tower Buildings and structures in Birmingham, West Midlands Towers in the West Midlands (county) Buildings and structures completed in 1966 British Telecom buildings and structures Communication towers in the United Kingdom 1966 establishments in England