Jubilee clock is a term used in reference to a number of clocks constructed and erected throughout the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

in commemoration of the Golden or

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th anniver ...

of various British monarchs, most commonly,

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 previ ...

's.

England

Brighton

The ''Brighton Clock Tower'' or ''Jubilee Clock Tower'', located at the junction of West Street and Queens Road,

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, was built in 1888 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. The tower is made of pink granite and limestone, with limestone figures at each corner, and medallion mosaics of Victoria, Albert and the Prince and Princess of

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. Above the clock is a gilt copper sphere, a

time ball A time ball or timeball is a time-signalling device. It consists of a large, painted wooden or metal ball that is dropped at a predetermined time, principally to enable navigators aboard ships offshore to verify the setting of their marine chron ...

that rises up a mast every hour and falls on the hour. The mechanism was taken out of use for many years because of noise complaints from local residents: it was renewed as part of a renovation of the clock tower and surrounding area in 2002. Clock tower mid drop

Cricklade

The ''Cricklade Jubilee clock'', is located outside the Vale Hotel,

Cricklade Cricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire, England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester. It is the first downstream town on the Thames. The parish population at the 2011 census was 4,227. History Cricklade ...

at the junction of Calcutt Street and the High Street.

Harlesden

''Harlesden'' is a district in the

London Borough of Brent The London Borough of Brent () is a London borough in north-west London. It borders the boroughs of Harrow to the north-west, Barnet to the north-east, Camden to the east, the City of Westminster to the south-east, as well as the Royal Borou ...

. A ''Jubilee Clock'' was erected there in 1888 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Jubilee the year prior. It was made out of cast iron and cost £299. The clock was renovated in 1997.Willesden Leader 24.10.2007 (Local Paper)

Maidenhead

The ''Jubilee Clock Tower'', located in

Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England, on the southwestern bank of the River Thames. It had an estimated population of 70,374 and forms part of the border with southern Bu ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Ber ...

just outside the station in the town centre, was built as part of the nation's celebrations for Queen Victoria's

in 1897. Building started in 1897 using money from public donations. The foundation stone was laid by then-mayor John Truscott on November 7, 1899. The tower was designed by local architect E. J. Shrewsbury, who designed many of the town's churches including St Peter's in Furze Platt plus the Technical Institute on Marlow Road. The clock tower was built by Charles Cox & Son; Charles Cox was the town mayor on several occasions. The tower is approximately 14 m (45 ft) tall and has four illuminated clock faces each facing the four compass points. A diamond pattern on the clock faces commemorates the clock's function. The clocks were donated by Mr G. A. Battcock; they were made and foxed by

Smith of Derby Group Founded in 1856, the Smith of Derby Group are clockmakers based in Derby, England. Smith of Derby has been in operation continuously under five generations of the Smith family. History John Smith (21 December 1813 - 1886)

Newmarket

The ''Newmarket Clock Tower'' is located at the top of the High Street. Local builder Richard Arber built it to commemorate Queen Victoria’s

Golden Jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু� ...

of 1887. The tower was paid for by public subscription, but local trainer Charles Blanton donated the clock made by

Thornford

In 1897 the village of

Thornford Thornford is a village and civil parish in north west Dorset, England, situated in the Yeo valley southwest of Sherborne. Dorset County Council's 2013 mid-year estimate of the population of the parish is 830. Thornford is in Thornhackett Parish ...

decided to commemorate Queen Victoria's

by erecting a ''Jubilee'' tower clock and incorporating a water tap at its base. The clock tower was completed by

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

1898 and a clock made by Richard Robert Purchase, jeweller and watchmaker of

Yeovil Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somerset's southern border with ...

, was installed. A weather vane made by local blacksmith Albert Gabe was accepted by the Parish Council to complete the monument, and a Lime tree and privet hedge were planted behind the tower and iron railings with kissing gates erected at the front.

Weymouth

Erected in 1887 to mark the 50th year of

's reign the ''Jubilee Clock'' was originally positioned on a stone base on Weymouth sands, but in the 1920s the Esplanade was built around it to protect the sands from the encroachment of shingle from the eastern end of the beach. It is a 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 I ...

. The clock is one of Weymouth's best-loved landmarks and has been a meeting place for generations of both locals and visitors. It is the focal point of Weymouth's New Year's Eve celebrations as midnight approaches and revelers gather beneath its four faces to welcome in the New Year.

Isle of Man

A ''Jubilee Clock'' is located in the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = " O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europ ...

capital of

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking * Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...

. It was donated by G.W. Dumbell in 1887 as a commemoration of the

's reign. It is located at the foot of Victoria Street and Loch Promenade. Manufactured by Walter Macfarlane & Co. at the

Saracen Works upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

. There is one other known clock using the same castings, the

Hastings Clock Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-we ...

erected at

Rotherham, England Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...

in 1912. As can be seen from this c. 1900 photo, it originally had a horse trough and, hidden by one of those standing at the base, a drinking fountain, above which is a plaque of Queen Victoria. The 8-day clock mechanism used a weight descending in the column — originally the four clock faces were lit by small gas jets. Both mechanisms are now electrified.

Malaysia

Penang

To commemorate

's 1897

, a Jubilee Clock Tower was constructed in

George Town, Penang ) , short_description = Capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang , image_map = , map_caption = Location of George Town in Penang , pushpin_map = Penang#Malaysia#Asia#Earth , pushpin_maps ...

(at the time a British

Straits Settlement The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Singapore for more than a century, it was originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Comp ...

) in the same year at junction of ''Lebuh Light'' (Light Street) and ''Lebuh Pantai'' (Beach Street). Built in a

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or s ...

style, the tower is sixty feet tall, one foot for each year of Victoria's reign.

Sungai Petani, Kedah

The major landmark of

Sungai Petani Sungai Petani (abbr. Sg. Petani or SP; Jawi: سوڠاي ڤتاني) is a city in Kuala Muda District, Kedah, Malaysia. Sungai Petani is Kedah's largest city and is located about 55 km south of Alor Setar, the capital of Kedah, and 33& ...

is a clock tower located on the main street, Jalan Ibrahim. The clock tower was built in 1936. It is 12.1 m in height and topped by a dome-shaped structure. The tower was a present from Lim Lean Teng to

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother ...

and Queen Mary to commemorate the Silver Jubilee.

New Zealand

The '' Diamond Jubilee Clock Tower'', located in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

, New Zealand at the intersection of Victoria Street and Montreal Street was built to commemorate the

of Queen Victoria. It is made of volcanic stone and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

with ornate wrought iron work with coloured glass around part of the tower with four faces. The tower also has two white marble plaques and one bronze plaque set on stone work above arches.

References

{{Reflist, 33em

External links

Isle of Man Clock Photo 1 - Present DaySmith of Derby website
Clock towers Tourist attractions in the United Kingdom