Colwyn Bay

Colwyn Bay is the last in this run of North Wales coastal towns.  The first sight of the towm coming out of the railway station is this clock on Station Road.

This is the Andrew Fraser Memorial clock, originally installed in September 1989, as set out in the plaque below.

It is actually a double memorial clock, as one of the engineers from Joyce clocks was killed during its installation. This is recorded on a second plaque. The book "Joyce of Whitchurch - Clockmakers 1690 - 1965" notes that the death was the result of faulty scaffolding erected by another company.

                                        

And adding layers of detail to what is a complex history for a relatively modern clock, general wear and tear meant that it had to be replaced by a new version in March 2021.

On my visit in March the clock was particularly colourful, having the addition of flowers added in celebration of St David's Day.

And finally, to add to all the plaques and signs, there is a further one from The Colwyn Bay Civic Society to mark its Heritage Award to the clock in 2006.

Along the road is the Metropole Hotel building with its prominent corner tower. The hotel was built in 1891, but was converted exactly 100 years later in 1991 to retirement flats.

There are references to the hotel being used to house the Ministry of Food during World War 2, but there are also claims that another local hotel was the one actually used.

Just along the road is the Post Office, with its clock in the window which is a common feature of such buildings. These are not great photographs due to the reflections off the window in the strong light.

St Paul's church, a Grade II listed building, is on Abergele Road opposite its junction with Sea View Road. The first part of the church was completed in 1888, but the tower with its clock was not completed until 1911.

Further down the same road is the Venue@The Clock House, which not surprisingly has a clock.

Unfortunately, the surround to the clock face, in a lovely blue, has been damaged, but as we will see in a moment the other side is in better condition. And if you look closely at the centre of the face you can make out the name W. Jones & Son, which we have to assume was a one-time occupier of this property.

As I said, the other face of the clock is in better condition.

Continuing a long way down the road, we come across what now seem to be the abandoned offices of the Regulatory Services of Conwy County Borough Council (is it a county or is it a borough?).

Hopefully this building will find another use as the clock is rather pleasing with its blue and gold colours.

And finally to my pet hate, indoor shopping centres. Luckily the Bayview Shopping Centre is quite small. It has a number of identical clocks, including one incorporated into the centre's internal sign.

I could have got a close-up picture as well, but I wasn't in the mood for finding the maangement office and asking for permission and there were some security guards lurking who wouldn't go away (shopping centres are notoriously sensitive about people taking photos in them).

And this the the end of my mini series of North Wales towns.

 

Newark

 

Newark Northgate station has this fine example of a Potts clock on Platform 1. Its positioning and design is certainly a throw back to times gone by, but is wonderful to see. Full marks to East Coast trains for keeping it in good condition.

On the other side of town is Newark Castle station. Close to this is the building below. The surrounding car park is shown on the maps as an arena, so presumably it is used for occasional events.

The building acts as the arena pavilion and toilet block.

There are two clock faces - one side is in reasonable condition (although the hands are a bit bent), but the other face is in a much worse condition.

Looking across from the arena/car park, you can see this building. It sits by the River Trent, so presumably its original purpose was something to do with river trade and industry. However, it has now been incorporated into a sheltered housing complex.

We are now on Bar Gate, facing the entrance to the highly descriptive Slaughterhouse Lane. Although this now in fact leads to a Morrisons supermarket.

 

Ostensibly in Church Street, St Mary's church, which its spire reaching 236 feet (72 m), dominates the centre of the town, and forms a backdrop to Market Place, the main town square.

Thanks to the Southwell & Nottingham Church History Project web pages (southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk) I can tell you that the clock has three 7ft (2.1 m) diameter and one 9ft (2.7 m) diameter faces. The clock mechanism of 1898 is originally by Joyce (of Whitchurch), and was converted to electrical working in 1971 by Smith of Derby.

Next up are the fabulous offices of the Castle Brewery in Albert Street.

Nothing to do with clocks, but I love this depiction of Newark Castle which sits below the clock tower.

This now deserted site was once John Harrison car dealers in Lombard Street.

Our final clock in Newark is indoors. This is the Buttermarket shopping centre, located in a former covered market hall opened on 13 October 1884 (so happy 129th birthday). It was converted to the Buttermarket in 1990.

Part of the shopping centre seems to be called The Royal Exchange, as evidenced by the clock.