Worcester (Part 3)

This is the third and final part of our visit to Worcester.

This is the former church of St Nicholas on The Cross. Built in 1730 - 35, it became redundant in 1989 and is now a branch of Slug and Lettuce.

To it s credit, the new occupier's marks are quite minimal on the facade, helped no doubt by the building's Grade II listing.

We first encountered St Swithun's in Part 1, with the restricted view from the High Street. Coming round to the Mealcheapen Street end of the building we get a much better view and a more ornate clock face surround.

A clock that is more hidden away is this one in Reindeer Court, illustrating the fact that to find all of the clocks you have to walk all of the streets.

The buildings date from the 16th century, with later additions and alterations. Originally a shop with house and stable, it became an inn and is now a series of shops.

The Fownes Hotel stands on City Walls Road, which is the A38 dual carriageway running alongside, yes you guessed it, the city walls.

This huge building was constructed in 1882 - 83 for the manufacture of gloves. A one-time key local industry, there were once 150 glove works in the city. Production at this site closed in 1973, and in 1985 it was transformed into a hotel.

Construction of Worcester Cathedral began in 1084. The clock inside is a bit more recent, dating from 1869. It was manufactured by Joyce of Whitchurch.

As well as gloves, Worcester became know for its Worcestershire sauce. Lea & Perrins has produced this commodity at is factory on Midland Road since 1897.

Just four more clocks in Worcester to visit (although as always if you know of any others that I haven't covered please let me know). First of the quartet is a nice modern clock on the St Dunstan's building of the Heart of Worcestershire College on The Butts.

I am always a fine of this simplistic style of clock when it is set on a modern plain building. It is also set such that it can be seen from a long distance and from many viewpoints, something which can be missing from many recent installations.

More traditional in style is this example at St Clements on Henwick Road. The church was completed in 1823, with an extension in 1879.

There is often a surprise clock in every town and city that you visit. Just when you think you have covered every possible example in the central area, you look up and see one that you must have walked passed several times already or you walk along a street that you have somehow avoided to date. Such a moment at Worcester came at the Crowngate Shopping Centre at its Broad Street entrance.

Lurking inside is a modern, minimalist clock - just two hands and four dashes.

And so finally we arrive at the railway station (Shrub Hill that is) to take the train home.

Here we have a good old no-nonsense railway clock, with Arabic numerals and the 24 hour system also indicated. There is no excuse for missing your train, whether it is at 11.25 or 23.25 hrs.

If you do have a bit of time to wait, check out the semaphore signals which are in contrast to the new GWR trains.

And that concludes our tour of the clocks of Worcester.

Gloucester

Dr Foster went to Gloucester, in a shower of rain - I have also paid a visit, but for me the weather was quite good.

I didn't get to meet the Tailor of Gloucester, but I did see the clock on the old Co-op building on the corner of Eastgate Street and Brunswick Road.

Close by is the entrance to the Eastgate Shopping Centre. This rather grand entrance to a 1970's shopping centre was the original entrance to the market which stood on the site, although its new role this entrance was moved 25 feet along Eastgate Street.

Apparently there was a Beatrix Potter clock inside the centre. It was installed in 1994, but sadly removed in 2013.

A star of Gloucester is the clock on G A Baker & Son in Southgate Street.

Not only is there a clock with weathervane, but there is also a series of figures which ring the bells.

These figures are reported to be an Irishwoman, an Englishman, Old Father Time, a Scotsman and a Welshwoman.

A fine clock, a fine set of bells and bell ringers, and a fine shop front overall. It certainly gets my vote as the best shop premises in Gloucester.

The clock dates from 1904.

Further down Southgate Street is the next clock on what is now The Hub bistro (the words hub and bistro would both suggest that this was not the original use of the building, unless Gloucester was at the cutting edge of linguistic use).

On  now to the docks. Gloucester gained formal status as a port in 1580, served by the River Severn, but it was not until the construction of the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal in 1827 that trade really took off.

This dockside building is now The Lord High Constable of England, a Wetherspoons pub.

I am not sure whether I should include this next clock, but here it is anyway. This is Quayside Clocks in Southgate Street.

We have done Eastgate Street and Southgate Street, so now it is the turn of Westgate Street. This is Avant Garde, a hair salon.

A bit further along is St Nicholas church. Originally dating from 1190, it has, as I often say, been through the usual re-buildings and modifications over the centuries. One unusual feature is its truncated spire, a result of being hit by cannon fire in 1643 during the Civil War.

Th clock itself dates from 1716.

And now to something a tad more modern. This building and its clock can be found on the corner of Hare Lane and Northgate Street (hurrah, we have completed all four points of the compass).

Continuing along Northgate Street, we come to St Peter's church on the junction of London Road and Black Dog Way. Which is a horrible dual-carriageway, sea of tarmac sort of a junction.

St Peter's was consecrated on 8 October 1868.

Re-tracing our steps along Northgate Street, we find the Debenhams store on the corner of The Oxebode.

At the other end of The Oxbode is the Post Office, with its window clock.

At which point we say good-bye to Gloucester.