Design No. 51 rises from the page like a Victorian promise: a slender iron tower tapering to a fine point, perched on an ornate base with grand arches and flanking pavilions. The drawing’s careful linework highlights a lattice structure meant to feel both modern and monumental, the sort of ambitious skyline statement that late-19th-century London dreamers believed engineering could deliver.
Printed text beside the illustration notes that the “Second Prize of 250 Guineas was awarded to this Design,” a reminder that the Great Tower proposal attracted fierce competition and serious money. At the bottom, the credited designers are clearly given as John J. Webster, M.I.C.E., and T. W. Haigh, with an address on Lord Street, Liverpool—evidence of how far beyond the capital the excitement for this London landmark project spread.
Set against the post title’s claim of 50+ competitive submissions, this historical image becomes more than a single concept sketch; it’s a window into the era’s culture of inventions, public contests, and speculative architecture. For readers searching Great Tower for London designs, 1890 engineering proposals, or Victorian tower competition drawings, this page offers a crisp, fascinating snapshot of a city imagining its future in steel and ambition.
