How talented duo recreated famous Halifax landmark Wainhouse Tower

Two friends have lifted the lockdown blues by building a stunning 5ft tall model of Halifax landmark Wainhouse Tower.
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David Loboda and Brian Williams spent five months re-creating the iconic folly in real stone and wood.

David, of Holmfield, suffered serious injuries in a car smash 20 years ago and turned to modelling to aid his recovery.

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He built a model to celebrate an impromptu rooftop concert given by The Beatles at their London studio HQ on January 30 1969.

David Loboda and Brian Williams (who are in a bubble together) have built a 5ft tall model of Wainhouse Tower out of stone and wood during the pandemic.David Loboda and Brian Williams (who are in a bubble together) have built a 5ft tall model of Wainhouse Tower out of stone and wood during the pandemic.
David Loboda and Brian Williams (who are in a bubble together) have built a 5ft tall model of Wainhouse Tower out of stone and wood during the pandemic.

After that he turned his skill to another legend of the music industry - Elvis Presley – building a faithful re-creation of The King’s 14-acre Graceland estate in Memphis, Tennessee.

But when the pandemic meant that the specialist materials he needed became harder to come by, he and Brian looked closer to home and settled on Wainhouse Tower.

“It’s entirely made from scratch,” said David. “It’s taken us five months so far. I have built the tower out of wood and Brian has done the stonework from stone bought from a quarry in Brighouse.

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“It’s not quite finished yet – Brian is still working on the base – but already it has had a fantastic response from people. It’s been amazing.”

David, who went up Wainhouse Tower for a closer look, didn’t realise he had such a talent until he shared his work on Facebook.

“We have been blown away by the response,” said David. “It’s a labour of love and we’re very proud of it.

“It’s quirky, certainly. Nothing is made by machine, it’s all hand-made and it really looks the part.”

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When finished the model is to go on display at Halifax Modellers World and will be offered for sale eventually.

David and Brian haven’t counted all the man hours that have gone into it – “maybe three, hour, five hours a day” said David – but the model has been valued at a cool £1,500.

The Gracelands model has also caused a stir too. David shared pictures on an Elvis fan page in the United States and struck up an unlikely friendship with a woman who dated Elvis when she was 19.

David and Elland-based Brian are in a ‘bubble’ together to complete the tower. They are already planning their next reconstruction – what else but Halifax Piece Hall?

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