See the spectacular views from the top of the crane at Norwich Castle

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The colossal crane is playing a key role in the £13.5m Royal Palace Reborn project, in which the keep of the castle will be restored to its Norman heyday.

And from its lofty heights, a bird's eye view from the Falcon Jaso J160.10 tower crane offers a remarkable 360 degree panorama of the city and beyond.

From modern monoliths such as Westlegate Tower and the converted Crown Place towers in St Stephen's Street to the medieval majesty of Norwich Cathedral and St Peter Mancroft, the summit of the crane provides unique views of the city's landmarks.

Further in the distance, plumes of smoke can be seen rising from the sugar beet factory at Cantley.

Gordon Coppin is used to the sights. As the crane operator, he braves the succession of metal ladders to climb to and from his cab a number of times a day.

Hailing from Colchester, he has done that job around the country for 30 years, but this is not his first time in Norwich.

He previously worked on The Forum and the construction of the Chapelfield (now Chantry Place) shopping centre.

He has seen changes over that time, including crane cabs now having insulation and digital displays of wind speed.

Mr Coppin uses the crane to pick up material being taken out of the castle as Morgan Sindall works on the revamp.

Because the castle's bridge has a seven tonne weight limit, due to the medieval dungeons beneath, the crane needs to be used to carry any materials or machinery needed for the project.

Rob Hamilton, site manager for Morgan Sindall, said: "The crane is absolutely fundamental to the work which we are doing here. Without it, this project just would not be feasible."

Mr Hamilton said: "I am very proud to be part of this. Everyone on the team has Norwich links and lots of us would have come here as visitors.

"My son will have school visits here in the future and will be able to say his dad worked on this."