Towering over the Lincolnshire Wolds, the mast is currently the second-highest in the UK
Belmont Transmitter
Towering high over the Lincolnshire Wolds, the Belmont transmitter rises more than 351 metres into the sky, making it 41 metres taller than The Shard, in London, and the second tallest mast in the UK. Built in 1965, it came into service at the end of that year and continues to broadcast television and radio signals across Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire to this day.
The mast dominates the landscape and can be seen across much of Lincolnshire. Its bright red aircraft warning lights are visible on clear nights as far north as the Humber Estuary. Pointing so far up into the sky, it’s impossible to miss.
We followed a country lane to the station’s entrance, where the sheer scale of the mast became clear. Standing directly beneath it, you have to lean back just to take it in its sheer scale.
We were greeted by field operations regional manager Craig Kelly, of the site’s owner Arqiva, along with broadcast engineers Adrian Parkinson and Simon Burkinshaw. After introductions, they led us inside the transmitting station at the foot of the mast.
Arqiva supplies national terrestrial television and radio broadcasting services, delivering digital TV, analogue and digital radio to households across the country. Inside the Belmont site, we were shown how the process works: signals arrive, are combined step by step, and then transmitted through the mast. Digital feed-ins are converted into TV and radio waves, amplified to cover the region, then merged with other signals before being sent up the mast. From there, they are relayed to local transmitters and into towns and cities, eventually reaching our screens and radios.
The Belmont site provides a number of multiplexes for digital television. It carries BBC national and BBC radio services, independent stations such as Classic FM, Greatest Hits, and Lincs FM, as well as DAB national and local services. It also supports VHF services for the Coastguard and smart metering for energy and water utilities.
The transmitter is built with multiple layers of backup. A secondary power source bridges the gap until the generator takes over, ensuring that viewers and listeners at home never notice any interruption.
Speaking about his history at the site and the move to digital, Adrian said: “I started in 1985 when I was 18 and I’ve done the same thing all my life. It’s changed a lot compared to analogue, we have a lot more to look after now. This site would have had permanent staff but now we do maintenance and faults as and when we need to, everything is remotely managed now so we can have 24/7 visibility.”
Craig added: “Back in the 60s and 70s it had permanent staff to de-power equipment and re-power in the morning so they had to be here to do that. There was no transmission through the night, there was no 24/7 news or anything like that. TV wouldn’t start until after 9am and finished at midnight with the National Anthem.”
Earlier this year, the Belmont mast became home to a breeding pair of ravens. They quickly built a nest, laid eggs, and raised their young. When spotted by a local birdwatcher, Arqiva, in collaboration with the RSPB, acted swiftly to ensure that essential maintenance and upgrades did not disturb the birds as they incubated their eggs, raised their chicks, and oversaw them fledging and taking flight.
Looking ahead, we learned about Broadcast 2040+, a UK-wide campaign urging the Government to safeguard free-to-access broadcast television and radio services until at least 2040 and beyond. The campaign highlights the continued importance of broadcast services, particularly for older audiences, rural communities, and people facing digital exclusion.
Research from Arqiva shows that 85 per cent of adults in the UK want the Government to protect terrestrial TV. Despite the rise of internet streaming, 4.3 million households still rely solely on terrestrial TV, while 1.7 million have no internet access at home.
Broadcast 2040+ argues that a long-term commitment is essential to preserve the UK’s hybrid broadcast model, which combines the flexibility of streaming with the universality and resilience of terrestrial TV.