Seaton Carew

Seaton Carew is a seaside resort to the south of Hartlepool. Personally I just love the name. Apparently it comes from Carou, the name of a Norman French family who owned land in the area.

The settlement was originally a fishing village, but it became a seaside resort in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Other than the pleasing name, the only reason for visiting Seaton Carew is to see its clock tower at the bus station. This is a marvellous art deco creation, with a long curving shelter and a central tower.

Ok, there are a few rust stains on the clock face, but it still looks good.

The bus station was built in 1938, and is now quite rightly Grade II listed.

What else is there in Seaton Carew? Well the Destination Hartlepool website says that "rain or shine Seaton Carew is well worth a visit, even on a wintry day fish and chips sat in the car watching the raging North Sea is a pleasure to behold." I would dispute that. It was a wet and blustery day, and as a consequence a bleak place to me.

And the view down the coastline is this:

We are not talking picture postcard territory are we? But this blog is about clocks rather than a critique of towns, so let's go hunting.

The only other clock that I could find was that on Holy Trinity church.

 

So, go to Seaton Carew on a calm sunny day and marvel at the bus station. Just don't expect much else from the town, except for fish and chips.

Open Garden Squares Weekend

This weekend was the annual Open Garden Squares event in London organised by the London Parks and Gardens Trust. Over the course of the weekend 219 gardens were opened up to the public. As well as the opportunity to see an amazing range of often private and hidden gardens, it also allows viewing of a number of clocks. Here are three from today:

First, is BMA House on Upper Woburn Place, home of the British Medical Association.

The next two clocks are in Middle Temple, part of the huge historic legal quarter in central London.

Durham

Durham - a place often seen from the train with the cathedral dominant over town, but one never visited before. I was looking forward to my visit.

Well, you know how some places just don't gel with you when you arrive there? Somehow you just can't get a feel for how the place works. Durham was like that for me. Perhaps it is because it is all ups and downs - literally, because the city centre is built on a high promontory in a bend in the river.

It doesn't help when the first clock spotted is on the unfriendly outward facing walls of a shopping centre, in this case The Gates - sorry the Gates.

In the market square is the church of St Nicholas, dating from 1858.

I'm not sure why, but its clock face is protected by a thick wire mesh, obscuring the view of the clock, especially in bright sunlight.

Away from the sunlight, the inside of the market hall has two stall-based clocks. In other towns I often don't include these non-permanent clocks, but as you will see there are very few others to spot in Durham.

The only shop-based clock I could find was this one on Bramwells jewellers on Elvet Bridge.

The next stop is the tower atop the Law Courts building.

And round the corner is the university cricket ground, and the clock on the pavilion.

Durham cathedral, or rather the guardians of said building, does not allow photography. So I can't show you the splendid clock inside. Shame, but there you are.

The final stop is the former Durham Miners Hall.

 

And hurrah, it is now time to leave Durham.