Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
For nearly six decades, Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station’s iconic cooling towers have been a landmark on the East Midlands horizon. The power station was the last coal-powered station in the UK when it was decommissioned in October 2024. For decades, workers had noted the unique acoustics in the cooling stations. After the decommissioning in 2024, Ratcliffe workers invited two Nottingham musicians to collaborate on the first ever musical performance in the cooling towers. Two new works for solo bass clarinet capture these unique performances and invite audiences to experience the soundworld (and visuals) of the industrial space.
This video features interviews with Uniper staff and the musicians who developed the project. Sean Atton, Uniper Site Manager and Matt Peck, Uniper Decommissioning Planning Lead discuss why they were interested in the project, their experience of working with musicians and the legacy of the project. Elizabeth Kelly, Professor of Music Composition at the University of Nottingham and Dr Sarah Watts, Senior University Teacher at the University of Sheffield talk about the project and the unique experience of creating the first music ever performed in Ratcliffe-on-Soar cooling towers.
This project was funded by a University of Nottingham Arts & Humanities Research Council Accelerator grant with further support for 360-degree video capture from XTREME: EU funded HORIZON Europe Project.
Special thanks to Uniper for their support of the project.
Film - Alex Wilkinson
Watch the performances:
‘Cooling Cathedral’ by Elizabeth Kelly
youtu.be/9UeWkVfEHDQ
'It’s All I’ve Known' by Sarah Watts
youtu.be/H-DiGP--paw
For nearly six decades, Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station’s iconic cooling towers have been a landmark on the East Midlands horizon. The power station was the last coal-powered station in the UK when it was decommissioned in October 2024. For decades, workers had noted the unique acoustics in the cooling stations. After the decommissioning in 2024, Ratcliffe workers invited two Nottingham musicians to collaborate on the first ever musical performance in the cooling towers. Two new works for solo bass clarinet capture these unique performances and invite audiences to experience the soundworld (and visuals) of the industrial space.
This video features interviews with Uniper staff and the musicians who developed the project. Sean Atton, Uniper Site Manager and Matt Peck, Uniper Decommissioning Planning Lead discuss why they were interested in the project, their experience of working with musicians and the legacy of the project. Elizabeth Kelly, Professor of Music Composition at the University of Nottingham and Dr Sarah Watts, Senior University Teacher at the University of Sheffield talk about the project and the unique experience of creating the first music ever performed in Ratcliffe-on-Soar cooling towers.
This project was funded by a University of Nottingham Arts & Humanities Research Council Accelerator grant with further support for 360-degree video capture from XTREME: EU funded HORIZON Europe Project.
Special thanks to Uniper for their support of the project.
Film - Alex Wilkinson
Watch the performances:
‘Cooling Cathedral’ by Elizabeth Kelly
youtu.be/9UeWkVfEHDQ
'It’s All I’ve Known' by Sarah Watts
youtu.be/H-DiGP--paw
