Gillett & Johnston engineers removed the dials of the clock-tower in Brockwell Park today (Thu 13 February). It's a beautifully made structure but, as you can see from the photographs, over the decades the weather has had a real effect.
Deterioration is quite severe in some places, including a number of the original bolts/fixing screws holding the clock-faces and surrounds - most of which had completely eroded, welding themselves into the metal. They all had to be removed by drilling out the holes and making good again. A longer than anticipated process.
All four clock-faces are made of sheet zinc (according to the engineer), painted white with black numerals. Interestingly, in some places where the weather has had little or no effect there was a greenish paint which you might be able to see in the pictures. This green paint is similar to that shown in some of old postcards of the clock-tower. This may be the original colour.
Words and photos by Theresa Hoare
Today - Mon 10 February - scaffolding was erected around the clock-tower in Brockwell Park. This is the first stage of its repair and restoration. Later this week the dials and mechanism will be removed and taken back to the workshop for a complete overhaul.
Next week the clock-tower will be sandblasted, primed and then repainted green. The timetable is very dependent on the weather. Sandblasting and painting will not be done if it rains.
The work is being done by Gillett & Johnston, who built the clock and tower in 1897.
A £20,000 project to restore Brockwell Park’s historic clock and tower to working order has been launched by local community organisations. The Friends of Brockwell Park (FOBP), the Brockwell Park Community Partners and the Herne Hill Society, with the cooperation of Lambeth Council, are leading the fundraising campaign.
Above: The Clock-tower as it once was, and will look again after restoration
Former Mayor of Lambeth (1990-91) Rudy Daley JP launched the appeal for funds with a generous donation made in memory of his wife, Una Maud Daley, on Tue 16 July at the Clock in Brockwell Park at 2.15 pm. The Chair of the Friends of Brockwell Park, Peter Bradley, received the cheque.
The clock and its tower, next to Brockwell Hall, were presented to Brockwell Park by the second MP for Norwood, Charles Ernest Tritton, in 1897, to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. The clock kept time in the Park for nearly 100 years but has not worked for two decades. In design it is similar to the ‘Little Ben’ near Victoria Station.
The clock was wound by hand once a week: a ceremony attended by local children, according to author Jeffrey Rumble. In the interests of tradition and energy conservation, the clock-tower group will arrange for the original mechanism to be restored, rather than replacing it with an electronic version. It will still need to be wound once a week.
FOBP Chair Peter Bradley said: ‘The 1897 Tritton clock is a much-loved feature of Brockwell Park and visitors often ask when it will be working again. We are confident, with the support of local people, that day will not be far off. Tick tock!’
Anyone who would like to be part of this historic initiative can donate on the website of the Friends of Brockwell Park. All donations are welcome, large or small, and all donors will be acknowledged in a commemorative booklet and online when the clock is reinstated.
For further information, contact:
We blogged about the successful return of the bust of Thomas Lynn Bristowe MP to Brockwell Hall in June, achieved by this Society, with the Friends of Brockwell Park, and Lambeth Officers. We are now pondering a fresh challenge.
In 1897, Sir Ernest Tritton, Bristowe's successor as MP for Norwood, donated a 'Lttle Ben'- style clock tower to Brockwell Park, in celebration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. In this Diamond Jubilee year of Elizabeth II, we would like to restore this great symbol of Brockwell Park.
The clock-tower has been out of order for some years and is in poor condition, but the company that made it in 1897 is still in existence. It is not known how much it would cost to restore (we need to get a precise quote) but it is thought that about £15,000 needs to be raised. The restored clock and tower will complement the current Lottery-funded restoration of the Park.
Money is needed, naturally - but more important at this stage are volunteers to form an effective group to raise funds and manage this project. If you are interested in donating your time or your money, please contact us.
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