The 28m tall tree was built top down, with the crane raising each finished section into the air so the next could be slotted in underneath. The load grew with every lift, reaching 3,580kg before the base went in.
Mick Turner, technical sales representative at John Sutch Cranes, who organised the lift, said: "Building a tree from the top down means the load gets heavier every time a new section goes in underneath, so every lift has to be steady and precise. Doing that in a busy city centre, with shoppers watching from behind the fencing, takes careful planning and a team that knows what it is doing."
The first frame the Liebherr LTM 1040-2.1 lifted weighed 580kg. Two joined sections followed at 1,690kg, and the crane kept going until it was holding 3,580kg in the air. The final lift was the apex, the part everyone will look up at, which weighed 60kg.
Hayley Sutch, designate MD at John Sutch Cranes, said, "We have been doing the tree lifts in Liverpool and Manchester for years and years, and we were happy to help out again. It was a long shift for the team, but worth every minute for the city."