THE CRANE MAN

We spent months trying to convince strangers to take photos of their days; one finally relented. John is an East London crane driver who was working on Old Street last summer. He spent a day recording how he fills his days, and then handed over the undeveloped camera to us. We now own his day - and we're sharing it with you. And if the pictures aren't enough then there are some words downstairs. Enjoy.

And if you do, then coming up soon are London's notorious Sinner/Winner street preacher and some performers from Buenos Aires. Thanks for taking the time to check us out..

“ He thought he was a bird and could fly. And he’d just qualified to be an air traffic controller ”

Does it get lonely in the cab?

Not really. It’s quite appealing as it goes. It’s good up there. You’re your own boss – you’ve got your music, and if you want to read you can. It gets you away from everyone down below for a while.

What keeps you company?

The radio is my partner in crime for the day.

Do you always win the best prizes on the arm which picks up the toys at fairs?

No, not at all. There’s no truth in that.

What qualities make you a good crane man?

I think I’ve got the patience for the job. I just go with the flow – I don’t lose my head and I’m very laid back.

What’s the most number of steps you’ve had to climb up to get into your cab?

Well the highest I’ve been would’ve been 450ft. I don’t really count the ladders.

And you’re not scared of heights?

Not at all. But, saying that, sometimes I might go to the funfair and people think I want to be tossed and turned all round the place. But my job doesn’t mean that I want to do that. I will though.

Has anyone ever fallen off the steps?

There’s people who’ve been hurt, and injured. You’ve got handrails beside you and there are guards at the top of your tower. But if you did slip you’d have a bit of a fall.

Do you bring an empty bottle with you for when you’ve drunk too much cordial before a shift?

If you really need to go there’s always going to be a bottle up there. And you bring it down at the end of the day.

Is it possible to operate a crane with a hangover?

Yes. Very much so. Yes.

How long have you been a cranelogist?

I’ve been driving cranes for twenty years. And I got into it by accident. It’s just stayed with me now really. I started on the ground with the fella with the radio who tells the crane where he wants it to go. Then he asked me if I wanted to go and drive them. I was only young at the time. And that was it. It went from there.

Is it a good chat-up line?

It is, but you can use it another way round by saying that you’re a heavy lifting specialist.

Are the views the best part of the job?

Yes, they are.

What’s the most unusual thing you’ve lifted?

There’ve been numerous things. I lifted a settee once for someone who lived opposite. They couldn’t get their settee up so I dropped it onto the roof for them. They couldn’t get it through the doors or the windows but there was a way in through the top. They asked about it and I said I’d throw it up there, if they bought me a drink for doing it.

How much higher can you go in the crane world?

As high as it takes me.

What are the dangers of craning and do your family ever worry about you?

There have been accidents where people have been killed. They were putting one of the cranes up at a new shopping centre in Bayswater and they were doing the test load with it – there were two of the drivers and one of the fitters – and the load wouldn’t stop going out. Bosh. Two of them killed.

And we had a job opposite Regent’s Park mosque. We went into work one morning and there was a fella up on the crane, on the end of the jib. We got there and the police and the fire brigade were there.

Then as this fella from the mosque came out and said something to him on the loud speaker – Islam abhors suicide – he made a perfect dive off. He didn’t land in the water, but even if he had done there was only about 7 or 8ft. He landed on his legs. There was no blood. He’d left some prayer books on the crane and he’d written that he thought he was a bird and could fly. And that fella had just qualified to be an air traffic controller at Heathrow.

Who, if you saw them walking down the street would you like to pick up and drop?

Sven Goran Eriksson. That’d do me.

On the day you took your photos, when did you get up?

I got up as normal, about 6am.

What was the first thing you saw?

My girlfriend, Diane, next to me.

What did you have for breakfast?

Normally I’ll have cereal but also, later on, I’ll have another breakfast. A couple of times I’ll have fried food and a couple of times sandwiches.

Did you consider a GI index value or calorie intake when chose your food?

No. I just eat.

How far do you commute [to Old Street, E1]?

Not far. I’m only St John’s Wood.

Who’s the first person you saw at work?

Roger. He’s the banksmen, he’s my second in command on the ground in control of the radio. I don’t always work with him but on this job he’s my banksman. He’ll tell me where he wants me to go and I’ll get in that position.

Is there lingo?

Not really. You’ve got some signals, but language wise it’s pretty straightforward, like ‘down you come’ and ‘up you go’.

Do you have to do any preparations before you go in the cab?

Just give it a quick check over.

What were you picking up?

Steel.

What do you see from the cab?

I’m not that high really, but I can still see quite a lot.

Do you see people getting changed?

There was a girl last week who had a little fling with her bloke on the roof over there. She knew I was watching and she carried on anyway. She kept looking up and waving over.

Did you have a packed lunch?

I had some sandwiches.

How were you feeling in the cab that day?

A bit silly with the camera, taking all the photographs. When I was trying to take one of myself I was like that [pulls confused face].

How many portions of fruit and veg do you eat in a day?

I eat a couple of apples and bananas when I’m up there. And I eat veg every night, so I have all my portions without a doubt.

How do you normally relax after?

I’ll go out and have a drink.

Did it differ from any other days?

Yeah – when I was telling people about what I was doing with the camera.

Do you ever look down on London, put on a Geordie accent and say ‘Day one in the Big Brother household’?

No.

How many people can you fit in the crane?

Depending on what cab you could easily get four of you in there. Plenty of room.

Have you joined the Mile High club?

[Regretfully] I tried do – didn’t happen yet. Nearly. It was nearly.