Darlington

A bright sunny day in Darlington. It wasn't originally my intention to visit the town, but there are two clock towers immediately visible from the train on the way to Newcastle, so it had to be worth making the trip.

The first stop, as so often, is the station. In this case it is particularly relevant as Darlington has one of the longest associations with railways of any town in the world, with the first ever passenger railway services operating in 1825 on the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

So, a quick look around the station reveals two clocks. The first two are identical clocks on the two main platforms.

The third clock is to be found in the taxi road, under a magnificent arched roof.

This is an example of Potts & Sons horological craft (more of which later).

 

Wandering around the platforms you can't help noticing a large bell - surely trains are given the right of way by someone blowing a whistle, not hitting a very large bell? All is revealed by the handily placed plaque:

 



And this leads to the question, is there still a clock tower with a clock in it? And the answer is yes!

And then comes the thought - you can't see this from the train as you are underneath, so there are at least another two clock towers in the town. Hurrah.

 

The truly amazing clock tower is to be found in the town centre, and forms part of the Market Hall designed by Alfred Waterhouse (of Natural History Museum fame, which I may have mentioned before as being one of the most magnificent buildings in the world).

 

The other tower visible from the train turns out to be the church of St Cuthbert, a Grade I listed building originally dating from 1183.

Some less spectacular settings for clocks now. First up is Northern Goldsmiths on Blackwellgate.

It may be a less spectacular setting, but it still looks good.

Next is Bramwells the jewellers in the wonderfully named Post House Wynd, although it looks like they have now vacated the premises.

Back to the grander buildings, and to the Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College on Vane Terrace.

This was originally the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, which can trace it roots back to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Next up is Holy Trinity church in Woodland Road, dating from 1838.

The premises of funeral directors are often adorned with a clock, and Seaton Leng at the junction of Broadgate and Greenbank Road are not ones for bucking the trend.

The company was founded in 1891 by Mr Seaton Leng, who was also Mayor of Darlington in 1920 - 21.

Time for a stroll in the park, South Park to be precise. The park offices include the William Potts memorial clock, presented in July 1901 to commemorate the founder of Potts Clocks who was a native of Darlington before establishing his company in Leeds. the clock was inaugurated on 5 September 1901.

As promised, more on the Stockton and Darlington Railway. A short length of track in the park claims to be from the original railway line.

And then it is time for just on more clock in Darlington on this anonymous building in the south-east of the park.

Chester-le-Street

My visit to Chester-le-Street was in driving rain which made for a bleak experience. I therefore apologise to the good residents of this town that it does not present a particular good picture, and probably misses a whole load of clocks (it was just too wet to bother go looking beyond the main streets in the town centre.

So all we have is two churches and a civic centre. The first is the Methodist church:

Hurrah for a church clock that has Arabic numerals.

Our second church is St Mary and St Cuthbert, founded in AD883, with a spire reaching to a height if 158 feet.

And this is the Civic Centre, with its large minimalist clock. Bit of a tacky building, but the clock fits in well with the overall design.

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.