Crane in operation during early stages of the construction of Roker Pier, 1885 (TWAM ref. 3768/8). The granite and concrete blocks used in the construction of the pier were loaded onto wagons by a Goliath crane at the River Wear Commissioners Works  and then lifted into position by a 50-ton Titan crane.<br><p>This set of images relates to Roker Pier, Sunderland and is taken from a scrapbook kept by Henry Hay Wake, chief engineer to the River Wear Commission.<br>
Henry Wake designed Roker Pier and also oversaw its construction from beginning to end. The Pier' s foundation stone was laid in September 1885 and it was formally opened on 23 September 1903. The Pier is 2,800 feet long and was built of Aberdeen granite and concrete cement at a total cost of £290,000.<br></p>
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