It was 25 years ago when explosions and the crash of debris drowned out the applause and cheers which erupted during the demolition of the Great Yarmouth Power Station.

But today we are turning back the clocks to the 1950s and exploring the facility during its construction and early days.

In the spring of 1954 excavation for the station's foundations commenced and 900 people were employed there during the peak construction years.

At the time the town felt huge excitement and enthusiasm for the new power station. Some observers floated the idea that the electricity generator would increase the temperature of the sea nearby.

This intriguing notion was, of course, false, but the speculation arose from the fact that the nine million gallons of water pumped out every hour from the station would be 10 degrees warmer than the sea it entered.

The design of the building was approved by the Fine Arts Commission and many contemporary commentators insisted it would become a showpiece development project.

Its admirers included Sir Edmund Bacon who officially opened the station in the autumn of 1958 in his capacity as Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk.

During the impressive civic ceremony, he declared: "In these days we have our feelings about modern art, modern music and modern this and modern that. We may like them or we may dislike them. But I do think that modern industrial architecture does stand out, and I find this great building gives one great pleasure."

The power station had a 360-foot chimney — 45 feet higher than Norwich Cathedral spire making it the county’s tallest structure.

Extensions were completed by 1960 and the facility operated until the late 1980s when it was decommissioned.

At 7:30am on May 5, 1997 the Great Yarmouth skyline changed forever when 100kg of Semtex explosives toppled the 3500 tons chimney and demolished the boilerhouse — closing one chapter in the history of the town's energy industry.

Did you work at the Great Yarmouth Power Station or attend its demolition? Email benjamin.craske@archant.co.uk with your memories.

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