There are several different types of clock tower. Many are attached to buildings, but many stand alone, serving as a centre point to town centres or standing in public gardens as ornament. They are, in their own right, interesting pieces of civic architecture and indicative of historical changes to the layout of towns and cities.

Frequently, clock towers that stand alone were built in the Victorian or Edwardian periods. They were not simply supposed to be attractive, though. Some were sponsored by commercial firms and served as a giant advertisement for their wares; others may have been put up by local authorities or by public donations to celebrate national or local events.

For instance, several towers around the country were constructed to honour Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897 (they are usually called Jubilee Clocks). It is always worthwhile looking for inscriptions on this type of clock tower, because they may show what local people though important enough to celebrate.

Clock tower as advertisement

Commercial sponsorship was crucial in erecting this tower. It probably affected the location of the tower as well: right at the junction of two major roads. Clocktowers were seen as both providing a useful service and ornamenting the urban landscape, so it would have been shrewd for a business to associate itself in this way. The company is still in existence, but no longer in Clerkenwell.

Victorian tower

This tower rises dramatically from the front of a commanding Victorian redbrick gothic building. It is 217 feet high. It was supposed to display very publicly the opulence and power of the insurance company that occupied the building.

Taking it further

Public commemoration is discussed in the OU course, Heritage, whose heritage? (A180).

Photo of Victorian tower courtesy of P.A. Mitchell