Clock tower shines out in the dark again (From Malvern Gazette)

Clock tower shines out in the dark again

9:00am Tuesday 25th December 2007 in News By Sue Vickers

THE clock faces on the North Malvern Clock Tower, one of the town's most familiar landmarks, are now lit up again after being in darkness for many years.

The clock faces are shining out in the darkness each evening after many months of restoration work on the clock tower, part of a larger project devoted to restoring Malvern's unique water features.

The restoration of the tower, including the re-lighting of ther clock faces, has been paid for by the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of the Malvern's Heritage Project.

The clock tower dates back to the 1800s and a clock was installed in 1843 but was replaced in 1901 by the present clock. It was originally lit by gas but is now lit by electricity.

David Armitage of the Malvern Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which manages the Malvern Heritage Project, said the clock had been restored by its original makers Smiths of Derby and this has included the restoration of the south facing clock face. This was blanked out many years ago because it was constantly being damaged from the blasting at North Malvern Quarry.

The restoration of the clock tower, including the water feature in its base, has been overseen by the Malvern Spa Association, a voluntary association dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Malvern's many hundreds of wells and spouts.

The clock tower restoration project will be the subject of a talk at the association's annual general meeting on Tuesday, January 8, at 7.30pm. This will be held at the Lyttelton Well and is open to the public as well as members.

The tower building itself is owned by Malvern Hills District Council. and a clock winder is employed to wind the clock once a week.