Queens Park Clock Tower
| Browse information by: Location Makers General Information Classification Object Parts Object Condition History References Photographs |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright for Photograph: Creative Commons |
Location
| Street: | East Drive |
| Town: | Brighton |
| Parish: | Brighton |
| Council: | Brighton & Hove City Council |
| County: | East Sussex |
| Postcode: | BN2 |
| Location on Google Map | |
| Object setting: | Public Park |
| Access is: | Public |
| Location note: | In Queens Park to the West of East Drive |
| In the AZ book: | East Sussex |
| Page: | 132 |
| Grid reference: | D8 |
| The A-Z books used are A-Z East Sussex and A-Z West Sussex (Editions 1A 2005). Geographers' A-Z Map Company Ltd. Sevenoaks. | |
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Makers
| Name : | Llewellyn E. Williams |
| Role: | Architect |
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General Information
| Commissioned by: | William Godleye |
| Installation date: | 1915 |
| Unveiling date: | 24/06/1915 |
| Work is: | Extant |
| Owner custodian: | Brighton & Hove City Council |
| Object listing: | Grade II: of special interest warranting every effort to preserve them |
| Listing date: | 26/08/1999 |
| Description: | Ground floor and dressings in Portland stone, the rest red brick in English bond. Roof of copper. Tower of 3 stages, square in plan. Ground floor has plain stone dado and heavily rusticated masonry, terminating in a storey band; one flat-arched entrance in north west face. The middle stage begins with a smooth band of stone before changing to red brick; small camber-arched windows to each face; white stone quoins to projecting cornice between second and third stage. Stone dado to top stage pierced by bell louvres set in segmental-arched openings; corners chamfer back to make octagon, an urn marks the set back of each corner; the 8-sided upper stage has Tuscan corner pilasters with entablature above. Clock face in alternating segments of the octagon. 8-sided, concave roof capped by ball finial. Above the entrance, facing north west and set under its entablature, is a bronze plaque., Below inscription is the Borough crest. On the south east face of the ground floor is a smaller bronze plaque. |
| Signatures: | Illegible carved signature and date, at the base, south east face. |
| Inscription: | THIS CLOCK TOWER WAS PROVIDED OUT OF MONEYS BEQUEATHED FOR THE PURPOSE TO THE CORPORATION OF BRIGHTON BY THE LATE WILLIAM GODLEYE, ESQ.OF THIS TOWN AND WAS DEDICATED TO THE PUBLIC USE ON THE 24TH DAY OF JUNE, 1915 Bronze plaque with raised letters on south east face: PARKS COMMITTEE 1913-14-15 / ALDERMAN J. L. OTTER, MAYOR. / ALDERMAN E.J.BUTT-THOMPSON COUNCILLOR H.E.HARDY COUNCILLOR J.SMITH / “ J. STRINGER “ R. MAJOR / “. H. TESTER “ A. MARTIN “ B. N. SOUTHALL / COUNCILLOR T.J. BRAYBON “ J. W. PENFOLD CHAIRMAN 1914-15 “ A.L.B.TINDALL / “ W. BROADBRIDGE / “ A.J.SMITH / LLEWELLYN E. WILLIAMS ARIBA ARCHITECT HUGO TALBOT TOWN CLERK |
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Classification
| Categories: | Functional, Free Standing, Commemorative, Architectural |
| Object type1: | Building |
| Object subtype1: | Clock tower |
| Subject type1: | Non-figurative |
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Object Parts
| Part 1: | Top section |
| Material: | Red brick with copper dome |
| Height (cm): | 1040 |
| Width (cm): | 300 |
| Depth (cm): | 300 |
| Part 2: | Base with five steps leading up |
| Material: | Brick inlaid pattern in retaining wall |
| Height (cm): | 40 |
| Width (cm): | 625 |
| Depth (cm): | 625 |
| Part 3: | Lower section of tower |
| Material: | Portland stone |
| Height (cm): | 260 |
| Width (cm): | 340 |
| Depth (cm): | 340 |
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Object Condition
| Overall condition: | Good |
| Risk assessment: | No known risk |
| Date of on-site inspection: | 01/02/2008 |
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History
| History: | In 1825 Brighton solicitor William Attree acquired land north of Eastern Road—already known as Brighton Park—to build a residential park surrounded by detached villas, inspired by Regent's Park in London. He commissioned architect Charles Barry to design it. It was re named after Queen Adelaide, consort of William IV, who patronised the German Spa opened in 1825 by Dr F A A Struve of Dresden at the south end of the park, which remained in operation until 1886 when it continued as a mineral water plant until 1960. On the site now stands the Royal Spa Nursery school. Attree's plan never materialised and the surrounding housing is of later date. At the north-west corner is Pennant Lodge, once the home of Charles Freshfield. Also to the north-west of the park itself, on Queen's Park Road, stands the 'Pepper pot' (also called the 'Pepper box'). Originally built as a water tower, later designated an observatory, it was later a public convenience. The park itself, without the houses but including the Spa and the Pepper pot, was bought by the Race Stand Trustees in 1890 for £13,500 and donated to the town.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen's_Park,_Brighton 22/01/2008) Formally opened to the public on 10 August 1892.. Twenty years later, a local tradesmen, William Godleye, left a £1,000 for a clock tower to be built - because, when visiting the park, he'd always been pestered by children asking him the time. |
| Hard archive file: | No |
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References
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Photographs
Date: 01/02/2008 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Date: 01/02/2008 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
 Date: 01/02/2008 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Date: 01/02/2008 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
 Date: 01/02/2008 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Date: 01/02/2008 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
 Date: 01/02/2008 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Date: 01/02/2008 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
 Date: 01/02/2008 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Date: 01/02/2008 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
 Date: 01/02/2008 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Date: 01/02/2008 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
 Date: 01/02/2008 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Date: 01/02/2008 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
 Date: 01/02/2008 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Date: 01/02/2008 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
 Date: 01/02/2008 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Date: 01/02/2008 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
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