Work started this week (end Sept) to repair and restore parts of the city’s Jubilee Clock Tower - by the same team who worked on Big Ben.
The Grade II listed landmark is covered in scaffolding as contractors remove, repair and service part of the mechanism and replace a missing hand.
They will then replace the faded and missing letters from the clock faces and replace the bird prevention netting with steel mesh and, where possible, without the use of spikes.
The steel mesh is being used following advice from the RSPB and helps prevent birds becoming trapped, as sometimes the case with plastic-style mesh.
Checks are also being made on parts of the tower where the city traditionally hangs Christmas lights.
Work is scheduled to take approximately four weeks.
In a statement on the Brighton & Hove City Council website, Council leader Phélim Mac Cafferty said:
“I’m so pleased work has begun on the clock tower. It’s one of the first things people pass when they arrive from the railway station or notice when travelling around the city.
“It’s so important we take care of landmarks which are such an iconic part of Brighton & Hove’s history. These works will mean that the clock will once again be working, instead of being right just twice a day."
The council also provided this historical information:
The Jubilee Clock Tower was donated to the city in 1888 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee the year before.
Designed by John Johnson and built by JT Chappell, it’s made of Portland stone and pink polished granite with a domed roof of copper and crown on top carrying a metal globe; this was a time ball designed by Magnus Volk.
It stands 23m (75 feet) tall, with the Volk’s time ball adding a further 4.9m (16 feet). Each of the four clock faces are 1.5m (5 feet) in diameter.
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