The Clock Tower stands near the north entrance to Queen's Park, Crewe, in Cheshire, England. The park was given to the residents of the town by the London and North Western Railway Company, and the clock tower was paid for by its employees. It was unveiled on the same day the park was officially opened in 1888. The tower is built in

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

and brick, and contains medallions with the heads of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

and officials of the company. It is recorded in the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...

as a designated Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

Queen's Park was given to the people of Crewe for their recreation and relaxation by the London and North Western Railway Company, the major employers in the town. It was designed by F. W. Webb, the chief mechanical engineer of the company, together with Edward Kemp. The clock tower was paid for by the employees of the company, and was designed by John Brooke. The park was formally opened to the public on 9 June 1888 by the

Duke of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge, one of several current royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom , is a hereditary title of specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. The title (named after the city of Cambridge in England) is heritable by male de ...

. On the same day the clock tower was unveiled by James Middleton, who had been an engine driver of the company for 50 years. The clock itself was given and installed by a Mr Blackhurst, a local clockmaker. Originally the tower contained two drinking fountains with brass cups, and a

barometer A barometer is a scientific instrument that is used to measure air pressure in a certain environment. Pressure tendency can forecast short term changes in the weather. Many measurements of air pressure are used within surface weather analysis ...

, but these are no longer present.

Description

The clock tower is about high. The

plinth A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...

stands on a square base. On the sides of the plinth are rectangular panels, the south panel having an inscription and the date. On top of each side of the plinth is an equilateral

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

with a

ball flower The ball-flower (also written ballflower) is an architectural ornament in the form of a ball inserted in the cup of a flower. It came into use in the latter part of the 13th century in England and became one of the chief ornaments of the ...

finial. Each pediment contains a medallion depicting a head; on the north side it is that of Queen Victoria, and on the other sides are the heads of members of the railway board. From the plinth, the tower rises, first in sandstone, then in brick with decorative bands. At the top is a projecting cap supporting the clock. This has four faces, each framed in timber. Above each clock face is an equilateral pediment. On the top of the tower is elaborate

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a wood-like "grain" ...

work supporting a

weathervane A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...

. The inscription on the tower reads as follows. The clock tower was designated as a Grade II listed building on 14 June 1984. Grade II is the lowest of the three grades of listing and is applied to "buildings of national importance and special interest".

References

{{coord, 53.09843, -2.46761, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title 1888 establishments in England Grade II listed buildings in Cheshire Buildings and structures in Crewe Clock towers in the United Kingdom Towers completed in 1888 Towers in Cheshire Crewe Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria

History

Description

See also

References