Heavy lifting days are done

The heavy lifting days for these cranes has past.  Their days of lifting cargo out of commercial shipping is no more.  Built by Bath engineering firm Stothart and Pitt in the early 1950s they still stand proudly on the dockside in Bristol's floating harbour, echoes of its former role as a commercial port some 65 years later.

As you can see, some work was being undertaken to the nearest crane when I wandered past in the sunshine this lunchtime. Once upon a time the work would no doubt have been carried out from the crane platform itself, but nowadays health and safety requires the use of a mobile lifting platform.  Perhaps wisely, given the age of these old cranes.  But this did provide a nice contrast between the technologies.

This would have worked in moody mono, but it was a gloriously sunny early spring day and it seems such a shame to loose that blue sky!