Pylon of the Month

Happy New Year to pylon fans everywhere!

January's Pylon of the Month is one of a famous pair from Cádiz in Spain. So famous in fact that they have their own Wikipedia page, which has this to say:

The Pylons of Cádiz, also known as the Towers of Cádiz, are two 158 m (518 ft)-tall pylons..........running from Puerto Real Substation to the substation of the former Cádiz Thermal Power Station, situated on the peninsula upon which the city of Cádiz stands.

They aren't as tall as the 190 m high Thames crossing pylons, and are only rated at 132 kV but size isn't everything, and the unusual truncated conical cross-section of the towers marks them out. This unusual design stems from the fact they were constructed from 1957-60 under the Franco regime. The huge steel carriers required for a more conventional design couldn't be manufactured in Spain and importing them was not an option. I almost used the word unique when describing the towers but if I had done, I might have been deluged with emails pointing out that the Shukov Tower on the Oka River has a very similar hyperboloid design. I feel like I should issue a content warning at this point in case anyone gets sucked down into a constructivist architecture internet rabbit hole - I escaped by the skin of my teeth. 

Cadiz was already on my "places to visit" list but it has moved up several places as a result of this month's pylon. That's all for now - see you in February!