With a working height of 55 metres (179.8 feet), this Nationwide Skylift unit was almost 'made to measure' for providing a cameraman with a Nelson's eye view of London.

Nelson's Column stands at 170 feet 2 inches, so the Skylift unit gave freelance cameraman Chris Openshaw just the height needed to shoot from slightly above Nelson and capture the view below.

Chris said that even at that height, the platform had proved to be very stable. He was accompanied on the shoot by a producer and a Skylift operator supplied by Nationwide.

The view shot by Chris, as seen by Nelson, pans across the skyline to rooftop level and then looks down Whitehall to Big Ben. It will be used in a new BBC 2 History Zone documentary about Nelson's navy, due to be shown in the late Spring.

Simon Baker, of the BBC, said the programme would examine some of the myths surrounding Nelson and his navy and would question whether life on board his ships had really been as harsh as portrayed in popular books and films.

The 55m unit used for the shoot is part of a range of truck-mounted Nationwide Skylifts with working heights from 14m to 72m, the highest available in Europe. Following further expansion by Nationwide, the Skylift fleet has now been increased to over 100 units. Models available include four-wheel-drive versions for applications involving difficult terrain, and light-chassis units where there is a need to travel on grass or other surfaces where there is a risk of damage.

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Issued by Phoenix Public Relations (01482) 219898.