Latest news with #clocktower
BBC News
12-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Restored Hull time ball to be removed for more repairs
A time ball is to be removed for repairs two years after £400,000 was spent restoring golden sphere on the clock tower of Hull's Guildhall is supposed to drop at 13:00 each day and was traditionally used by ships to set their was broken for more than a century before being refurbished in City Council said the work is being carried out by original contractor Smith of Derby with no additional cost to the council. The 7st 8lb (50kg) ball stopped working again in March this Litchfield, from Smith of Derby, said the mechanism that controls the rise and fall of the ball was "highly complex"."It's important to note that all components of the time ball were thoroughly tested prior to installation," he said."However, it is extremely difficult to fully replicate the stresses and strains the structure experiences once exposed to the real-world effects of temperature fluctuations, weather, and coastal conditions."It dates back to 1918 and is covered in 23.5 carat gold leaf. Prior to the restoration, it was last used in 1922. The ball will be removed on Sunday and Lowgate outside the Guildhall will be closed to traffic from 08:00 to 16:00 leader Mike Ross said: "It is disappointing that the internal parts have failed, causing the time ball to stop working. "However, the council is committed to ensuring this historic feature is restored to full working order."Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Click here, to download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and here, to download the BBC News app from Google Play for Android devices.
The Sun
30-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
People are only just realising why so many supermarkets have a clock tower and it's blowing their minds
SUPERMARKETS across England have one feature that is often overlooked by shoppers. Brits were floored to find out the reason why so many stores seem to have a clock tower. 4 4 Filmmaker Chris Spargo took to YouTube to explain the history. He also pointed out that many of the clocks don't actually show the correct time. The trend dates back to the 1970s, when an Essex council was given a very strict design guide. It wanted to put a supermarket next to the town square but the council was firmly told that the building had to have "specific Essex characteristics". The YouTuber explained: "So Asda came up with an idea. 15 miles away in a town called Coggeshall, there is a 14th century barn and a Victorian clock tower." From there, UK chains seemed to draw inspiration and replicas started popping up everywhere. It went on to be known as the "Essex barn style". In 1991, 23 of the 28 Tescos that were built had clocks. Way into the 1990s, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons all built stores in this way. However, new stores being built today are less likely to have the feature. One comment by a dumbfounded Brit read: "This is something I've simultaneously noticed everywhere and yet never noticed." Writing in a thesis on the history of supermarket designs, academic Audrey Kirby said: "Possibly the design provided the customers with a classless feeling of comfort, security, wholesomeness and prosperity." 4 4
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
This is the bizarre reason that explains why so many supermarkets have a clock tower: RONAN O'REILLY
From red telephone boxes to double-decker buses, some designs are quintessentially English. Yet, despite being native to our green and pleasant land, one key architectural feature goes almost unnoticed. I'm referring to the ubiquitous quirk that is the clock tower. Not just any clock tower but the one that looms over so many of our supermarkets and shopping centres.
BBC News
28-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Hartlepool Art Gallery clocktower to reopen after seven years
A clock tower offering panoramic views of a town will be reopening after seven years. Proposals submitted to Hartlepool Development Corporation earlier this year to carry out repairs and improvements at Hartlepool Art Gallery in Church Square have now been work will allow the 120ft-high (36.6m) clock tower at the venue to open for the first time since February, Hartlepool Borough Council was awarded £302,383 from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's Museum Estate and Development (MEND) Fund to carry out the repairs. A listed building consent application was subsequently filed by council chiefs seeking to secure permission to carry out the work.A report from development corporation planning officers confirmed the proposals had been approved, adding they would "improve the condition of the listed building and maximise its long term-use as a visitor attraction". Work will include internal stonework repairs to the full tower, repairs to the south-east spiral staircase, repairs and adjustments to existing doors, audio loop improvements and remedial works to the viewing measures include improvements to the lower roof, guarding and handrails, additional protections to the bell mechanism for health and safety, metalwork repairs and fire alarm upgrades, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.A planning statement in support of the proposals noted the project would "preserve the existing fabric and improve maintenance of the historic structure".Built in 1854, the Grade II* listed building was formerly the Christ Church before its conversion to its present use during the clock tower has been closed since 2018 due to the cost of repairs being beyond the council's maintenance budget. Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
17-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Specialist engineers to inspect Hull's faulty Time Ball
Further inspections are to be carried out in an attempt to fix the landmark Time Ball on the clock tower of Hull's Guildhall, the council has golden Time Ball, on the council's headquarters, is supposed to drop at 13:00 each day, and was traditionally used by ships' crews to set their 7st 8lb (50kg) ball was refurbished in 2023 after having not functioned for about 100 years, but it stopped working again shortly after the £400,000 engineers would visit the site next week to plan the necessary work and bespoke parts were being sourced, a Hull City Council spokesperson said. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the sphere is mounted 196ft (60m) above the is one of just eight left in the UK, including one at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, Osgerby, interim assistant director for major projects and infrastructure at Hull City Council, said: "Specialist engineers are due to visit the Time Ball next week to carry out further inspections and plan the necessary works, while bespoke parts are being sourced."We will provide another update when the Time Ball is expected to be working again." Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
