Editing Sydney Harbour Bridge (section)

===Pylons===
[[File:Sydney Harbour Bridge SE Pylon, jjron, 02.12.2010.jpg|upright|thumb|The south-eastern pylon containing the tourist lookout, made of [[granite]] quarried at [[Moruya]]]]
At each end of the arch stands a pair of {{Convert|89|m|ft|0|adj=mid|-high}} concrete pylons, faced with [[granite]].<ref name="pl-ph22">{{cite web|title=South East Pylon History: 1922 – 1932|url=http://www.pylonlookout.com.au/history_frs.htm|work=Pylon Lookout: Sydney Harbour Bridge|access-date=18 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218075104/http://www.pylonlookout.com.au/history_frs.htm|archive-date=18 February 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> The pylons were designed by the Scottish architect [[Thomas S. Tait]],<ref name="tait1">{{cite book|last=Smiles|first=Sam|title=Going modern and being British: 1910–1960|publisher=Intellect Books|year=1998|page=41|isbn=978-1-871516-95-1}}</ref> a partner in the architectural firm John Burnet & Partners.<ref name="glasgowsculpture">{{cite web|url=http://glasgowsculpture.com/pg_biography.php?sub=burnet_j-son|title=John Burnet & Son|last=Nisbet|first=Gary|work=Glasgow – City of Sculpture|access-date=14 November 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207182850/http://glasgowsculpture.com/pg_biography.php?sub=burnet_j-son|archive-date=7 December 2008|url-status=live}}</ref>

Some 250 Australian, Scottish, and Italian [[stonemason]]s and their families relocated to a temporary settlement at [[Moruya]], {{Convert|300|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} south of Sydney, where they [[Quarry|quarried]] around {{Convert|18000|m3|ft3|0|abbr=on}} of granite for the bridge pylons.<ref name=pl-bh /> The stonemasons cut, dressed, and numbered the blocks, which were then transported to Sydney on three ships built specifically for this purpose. The Moruya quarry was managed by John Gilmore, a Scottish stonemason who emigrated with his young family to Australia in 1924, at the request of the project managers.<ref name=pl-bh /><ref>{{cite journal|journal=Inside History Magazine|title=To make a bridge. Where did the granite of the Sydney Harbour Bridge come from?|date=19 April 2014|url=http://www.insidehistory.com.au/2014/04/tae-mak-a-brig-to-make-a-bridge-where-did-the-granite-of-the-sydney-harbour-bridge-come-from/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331030121/http://www.insidehistory.com.au/2014/04/tae-mak-a-brig-to-make-a-bridge-where-did-the-granite-of-the-sydney-harbour-bridge-come-from/|archive-date=31 March 2017|url-status=dead|access-date=12 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.granitetown.com.au/moruyahistory/|title=Moruya History|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311000310/http://www.granitetown.com.au/moruyahistory/|archive-date=11 March 2018|url-status=dead|access-date=12 April 2019}}</ref> The concrete used was also Australian-made and supplied from [[Kandos]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article28034379|title=Kandos Cement|publisher=[[Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=19 March 1932|access-date=8 October 2018|archive-date=24 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924095437/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/28034379|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article219676124|title=Cement and the Bridge Part Played by Kandos Co|publisher=[[Lithgow Mercury]]|date=7 March 1932|access-date=8 October 2018|archive-date=24 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924095438/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/219676124|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article156201488|title=Stands the Test Kandos Cement Used for Harbour Bridge|publisher=Mudgee Guardian|date=19 May 1930|website=Trove|access-date=8 October 2018|archive-date=24 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924095438/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/156201488|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article158296349|title=Kandos a Great Industry|publisher=[[The Sydney Mail]]|date=7 September 1927|access-date=8 October 2018|archive-date=24 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924095436/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/158296349|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Abutment]]s at the base of the pylons are essential to support the loads from the arch and hold its span firmly in place, but the pylons themselves have no structural purpose. They were included to provide a frame for the arch panels and to give better visual balance to the bridge. The pylons were not part of the original design, and were only added to allay public concern about the structural integrity of the bridge.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lalor|first=Peter|title=The bridge|page=142|publisher=[[Allen & Unwin]]|orig-year=2005|year=2006|isbn=978-1-74175-027-0}}</ref>

Although originally added to the bridge solely for their aesthetic value, all four pylons have now been put to use. The south-eastern pylon contains a museum and tourist centre, with a 360° lookout at the top providing views across the Harbour and city. The south-western pylon is used by [[Transport for NSW]] to support its [[Closed-circuit television|CCTV]] cameras overlooking the bridge and the roads around that area. The two pylons on the north shore include venting chimneys for fumes from the [[Sydney Harbour Tunnel]], with the base of the southern pylon containing the Transport for NSW maintenance shed for the bridge, and the base of the northern pylon containing the traffic management shed for tow trucks and safety vehicles used on the bridge.

In 1942, the pylons were modified to include parapets and anti-aircraft guns designed to assist in both Australia's defence and general war effort.<ref>{{cite web|title=1942–1945 (WWII)|url=http://www.pylonlookout.com.au/PylonLookoutMediaKit.pdf|work=The Pylon Lookout|year=2004|access-date=24 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314082136/http://www.pylonlookout.com.au/PylonLookoutMediaKit.pdf|archive-date=14 March 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>