St Albans Clock Tower
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Saturday: 10:30 - 16:45
Sunday: 10:30 - 16:45
About St Albans Clock Tower
Built in 1405, the Clock Tower is the only medieval town belfry in England. The tower with its fine bell has survived over 600 years of use.
St Albans Clock Tower Description
The Clock Tower is the only medieval town belfry in England.
The Clock Tower was built in 1405, as confirmed by recent dendrochronological testing of the timbers in the floors.
The plot was vacant in 1403 as a deed conveys the land from Alice, relict of Ralph att Lee to Geoffrey Fylynden.
In 1412 a deed refers to the tower as the “le Clokkehouse”.
The town’s people engaged THOMAS WOLVEY, formerly the Royal Mason, to build the Clock House for them.
In 1427 the Clock Tower was passed over to body of officers to run and in time to the Corporation of St Albans. Today it is owned and repaired by the Council of St Albans.
It is 77 feet high with walls 4 feet thick.
It is consists of 5 floors:
- the ground floor which was used as a shop, is now the entrance room
- 1st Floor was living chambers and is now empty but retains the fireplace
- 2nd Floor was also living chambers and houses the main part of clock mechanism
- 3rd Floor contains the part of the clock mechanism that attaches to the clock face
- 4th Floor contains the bells
There are two bells inside, the larger one is named after the Archangel Gabriel and has been in the tower since it was built.
It was cast in 1335 in Aldgate in London by WILLIAM and ROBERT BURFORD and weighs one ton and is 46 inches in diameter.
It was rung at 4am to wake the town’s people for work and at 8pm in the winter and 9pm in the summer for Curfew. It was rung in cases of fire or as a warning of trouble in the town. This practiced continued until 1861 when some of the inhabitants petitioned that it might cease.
The last time the clock was swung to sound the bell was in 1901 for the funeral of Queen Victoria. The frame is now so weak that it is rung by being “clocked” on the side.
The small bell, dated 1729, was moved from the old Market House in 1855.
The tower contained a clock probably from the time of its erection, but there is definite evidence of the existence of a clock in 1485, when directions were given as to its maintenance and repair.
The original clock had no outside face and the clock keeper had to strike the hour as indicated by the clock inside the tower.
The current clock mechanism was made in 1866 by John Moore Sons and was put in place when the tower underwent major renovations.
The clock face that you see now was put up in 1958.
The present clock incorporates a four-legged gravity escapement invented by Lord Grimthorpe, the local horologist and restorer of the Abbey who designed Big Ben's mechanism.
Reviews
Clock Tower Open Sunday 18th November from 2pm until 6pm. The Clock Tower will be open for the Christmas Lights Switch on tomorrow, Sunday, 18th November. The lights will be officially turned by the Mayor outside the Clock Tower at 5pm. Giant board games will be set out on the First Floor for children to play. There will also be a chance for the first 25 children to win a small chocolate Santa in the "Hunt the Parachuting Santas" game.
https://www.facebook.com/151690039341/pos ts/10156408945749342/
The Clock Tower is featured in the Herts Advertiser this week. An article about the clock running fast
Work continues at the clock tower including removal of the window grills for restoration
The Clock Tower is now closed for the season. We have had to close a few weeks earlier this year due to the start of repairs to the masonry. Fortunately there will not be any scaffolding for the duration of these works, but watch out for the abseiling stonemasons!
The Clock Tower will be on open for Heritage Open Days from Thursday 6th, to Sunday 9th September, from 10.30am until 5pm (except Sunday when we close at 4pm). The Extraordinary Women Exhibition will be on display on the First Floor over all four Heritage Open Days. The Dial Room will only be open on Thursday 6th Sept., from 1.30pm until 5pm.
The robinia tree in front of the Clock Tower was felled today. The tree was planted in 1975 and although robinias can live for over 200 years, this weekend it was thought that that some of its branches were in danger of falling. It was planted near where the Eleanor Cross had been erected, and where the Market Cross had stood from 1703 until 1810. Mrs Worley's Fountain had also once stood nearby from 1872 until just under 90 years ago, when in September 1928 it was suddenly removed, causing public concern for its disappearance.
The Launch of Heritage Open Days Representatives of the St Albans attractions that will be holding events over Heritage Open Days (HOD) gathered together outside the Clock Tower today (23.8.2018) to launch this September's HODs.
Heritage Open Days are coming! 6th-9th Sept. and 13th-16th Sept. The Clock Tower will be open for HOD from Thursday, 6th to Sunday, 9th September 2018. As part of Heritage Open Days national celebration of “Extraordinary Women” the Clock Tower will be putting on a display of the local Suffragette heroine, Constance Lytton and, asking, “Who was your local heroine?” In keeping with the idea of HOD to open up buildings to the public that are not normally available to be seen, th...e Clock Tower will open up the third floor, Dial Room on Thursday, 6th September from 1.30pm until closing at 5pm. The Clock Tower will also be taking part in the exciting “Three Tower Challenge” on Sunday, 10th September along with St Peter’s Church and St Albans Cathedral.
Opening Times: Thursday 6th Sept – 10.30am - 5pm Friday 7th Sept – 10.30am – 5pm Saturday 8th Sept – 10.30am – 5pm Sunday 9th Sept – 10.30am – 4pm
The St Albans Civic Society have produced a HOD brochure for all the local events being held in September 2018 which can be viewed on line at:
http://www.enjoystalbans.com/…/Heritage %20Open%20Days%20bro…
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Clock Tower Offically Opened by the Mayor of St Albans
The Clock Tower was officially opened by the Mayor of St Albans today, Good Friday. The Tower is now open to the public every weekend and bank holiday from 10.30am to 5pm until September.
FIRST BIG WEEKEND BALLOT WINNER
Tanya Thompson from Hatfield was our first Big Weekend ballot winner to arrive on Saturday, 24th March 2018. Her she is seen with her Clock Tower Memorabilia Goody Bag outside the main door.
Lovely place to take little ones to look above the city. And kids are free. We are regular visitors
It was a great experience and found the view when I finally got to the top wonderful. But that staircase was incredible and at 75i was so pleased I was still able to get op there.
Great value, excellent view, what else is there to say!
Great place to loose half hour. Great views and only a £1 entry. Very narrow staircase spiralling up 90 or so steps. Mind your head. Generally only open weekends.
Great little place to visit for £1. Be careful going past the bell on the hour as it's really loud!!
Great experience and espectacular view.
Fascinating!
A lovely little snippet of local history. Quite funny to see my son's shoulders getting stuck on the stairs and occasionally forgetting to duck.
Definitely worth a visit.
More about St Albans Clock Tower
Tuesday: -
Wednesday: -
Thursday: -
Friday: -
Saturday: 10:30 - 16:45
Sunday: 10:30 - 16:45