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Coordinates: 51°20′02″N 2°47′59″W / 51.333996°N 2.799628°W / 51.333996; -2.799628
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| founded = {{Start date and age|1897|df=yes|p=yes}}
| founded = {{Start date and age|1897|df=yes|p=yes}}
| built = {{Start date|1898}}
| built = {{Start date|1898}}
| built_for = [[Queen Victoria#Diamond Jubilee|Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee]]
| built_for = [[Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria]]
| founder = [[Sidney Hill]]
| founder = [[Sidney Hill]]
| restored = {{Dash year|1976|1977}}
| restored = {{Dash year|1976|1977}}
| architect = Joseph Foster Wood {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|FRIBA}}
| architect = Joseph Foster Wood
| architecture = Perpendicular [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic style]]
| architecture = Perpendicular [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic style]]
| height = {{Convert|40|ft|m|abbr=off|order=flip}}
| height = {{Convert|40|ft|m|abbr=off|order=flip}}
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| designation1_number = {{NHLE|num=1129198|desc=Jubilee Clock Tower and attached walls and railings|short=yes}}
| designation1_number = {{NHLE|num=1129198|desc=Jubilee Clock Tower and attached walls and railings|short=yes}}
}}
}}
The '''Jubilee Clock Tower''', [[striking clock]], and [[drinking fountain]], is a [[Listed building#Categories of listed building|Grade II listed]] building in the village of [[Churchill, Somerset|Churchill]], [[North Somerset]], built to commemorate [[Queen Victoria#Diamond Jubilee|Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee]] in 1897. It stands on a plot between Dinghurst Road and Front Street, and is a prominent landmark at the entrance to the village. Designed by Joseph Foster Wood {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=80%|FRIBA}} of [[John Foster (architect, born 1830)|Foster & Wood]], [[Bristol]], the tower is made of local stone and is of perpendicular [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic style]].
The '''Jubilee Clock Tower''', [[striking clock]], and [[drinking fountain]], is a [[Listed building#Categories of listed building|Grade II listed]] building in the village of [[Churchill, Somerset|Churchill]], [[North Somerset]], built to commemorate the [[Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria]] in 1897. It stands on a plot between Dinghurst Road and Front Street, and is a prominent landmark at the entrance to the village. Designed by Joseph Foster Wood of [[John Foster (architect, born 1830)|Foster & Wood]], [[Bristol]], the tower is made of local stone and is of perpendicular [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic style]].


The tower has a cast iron clock face on each of its four sides with one mechanism driving the clock hands. The [[escapement]] and [[clockwork]] was supplied by [[J. B. Joyce & Co]] in 1898 and is wound weekly by volunteers. The clock strikes the hours and chimes the [[Westminster Quarters]]. Responsibility for maintenance of the tower transferred to the [[Parish council (England)|parish council]] after the original [[Charitable trust|trust]] could no longer afford to maintain it. The whole structure, tower, walls, and railings, was designated as a Grade II listed building on 19{{Nbsp}}January 1987, nearly ninety years after the tower was built.
The tower has a cast iron clock face on each of its four sides with one mechanism driving the clock hands. The [[escapement]] and [[clockwork]] was supplied by [[J. B. Joyce & Co]] in 1898 and is wound weekly by volunteers. The clock strikes the hours and chimes the [[Westminster Quarters]]. Responsibility for maintenance of the tower transferred to the [[Parish council (England)|parish council]] after the original [[Charitable trust|trust]] could no longer afford to maintain it. The whole structure, tower, walls, and railings, was designated as a Grade II listed building on 19{{Nbsp}}January 1987, nearly ninety years after the tower was built.
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== History ==
== History ==
=== Inception ===
=== Inception ===
In 1897, [[Sidney Hill]], a local businessman and benefactor, purchased the old [[Turnpike trust|turnpike]] house near the Nelson Arms pub in [[Churchill, Somerset|Churchill]], [[North Somerset]], and a house and plot of land between Dinghurst Road and Front Street, near the entrance to Churchill village. Both sites were in a state of disrepair and were unsightly.{{R|"Weston‑super‑Mare Gazette 17 April 1897"}} Hill planned to clear the old buildings and debris, plant ornamental shrubs, and enclose the plots with iron railings; similar in design to the then plantation in front of the nearby [[Churchill Methodist Church|Methodist church]] and schoolroom that Hill had built in Front Street in 1881.{{R|"Weston Mercury 14 May 1881"}} Furthermore, his intention was to build a clock tower on the site to mark [[Queen Victoria#Diamond Jubilee|Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee]] in 1897.{{R|"Weston‑super‑Mare Gazette 17 April 1897"}}
In 1897, [[Sidney Hill]], a local businessman and benefactor, purchased the old [[Turnpike trust|turnpike]] house near the Nelson Arms pub in [[Churchill, Somerset|Churchill]], [[North Somerset]], and a house and plot of land between Dinghurst Road and Front Street, near the entrance to Churchill village. Both sites were in a state of disrepair and were unsightly.{{R|"Weston‑super‑Mare Gazette 17 April 1897"}} Hill planned to clear the old buildings and debris, plant ornamental shrubs, and enclose the plots with iron railings; similar in design to the then plantation in front of the nearby [[Churchill Methodist Church|Methodist church]] and schoolroom that Hill had built in Front Street in 1881.{{R|"Weston Mercury 14 May 1881"}} Furthermore, his intention was to build a clock tower on the site to mark the [[Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria]] in 1897.{{R|"Weston‑super‑Mare Gazette 17 April 1897"}}


=== Design ===
=== Design ===
Hill engaged Joseph Foster Wood {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=80%|FRIBA}}, of [[John Foster (architect, born 1830)|Foster & Wood]], Bristol, to design the tower.{{R|"Awdry 1917"}} Wood was the son and nephew of the founders of Foster & Wood.{{R|"Bath Chronicle 25 September 1937"}} They were a busy architectural practice in [[Victorian era|Victorian]] [[Bristol]] and many landmark buildings in the city were designed by them, including [[Foster's Almshouses, Bristol|Fosters Almshouse]] (1861), [[Bristol Beacon|Colston Hall]] (1864), [[Grand Hotel, Bristol|Grand Hotel]], [[Broad Street, Bristol|Broad Street]] (1864 to 1869), [[Bristol Grammar School]] (1875), and a large number of [[Wesleyan theology|Wesleyan]] chapels.{{R|"Foster Wood 1870"}} Hill had used the same practice to design the Methodist church and schoolroom at Churchill.{{R|"Weston Mercury 14 May 1881"}}
Hill engaged Joseph Foster Wood of [[John Foster (architect, born 1830)|Foster & Wood]], [[Bristol]], to design the tower.{{R|"Awdry 1917"}} Wood was the son and nephew of the founders of Foster & Wood.{{R|"Bath Chronicle 25 September 1937"}} They were a busy architectural practice in [[Victorian era|Victorian]] Bristol and many landmark buildings in the city were designed by them, including [[Foster's Almshouses, Bristol|Fosters Almshouse]] (1861), [[Bristol Beacon|Colston Hall]] (1864), [[Grand Hotel, Bristol|Grand Hotel]], [[Broad Street, Bristol|Broad Street]] (1864 to 1869), [[Bristol Grammar School]] (1875), and a large number of [[Wesleyan theology|Wesleyan]] chapels.{{R|"Foster Wood 1870"}} Hill had used the same practice to design the Methodist church and schoolroom at Churchill.{{R|"Weston Mercury 14 May 1881"}}


=== Build ===
=== Build ===
The tower was built by the end of 1897, and in the following year, [[J. B. Joyce & Co]] installed the bell and clock mechanism.{{R|"Cheddar Valley Gazette 7 October 1976"}} On 31{{Nbsp}}July 1901, Hill gifted the tower, and the adjacent schoolroom, to the Churchill Memorial Chapel and School Trust.{{R|"Deed of Gift 1901"}} Graham Clifford Awdry {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=80%|unlinked=FRIBA}}, Joseph Foster Wood's former business partner, wrote in Wood's obituary, "A charming memorial tower at Churchill, Somerset, is a good specimen of his originality."{{R|"Awdry 1917"}}
The tower was built by the end of 1897, and in the following year, [[J. B. Joyce & Co]] installed the bell and clock mechanism.{{R|"Cheddar Valley Gazette 7 October 1976"}} On 31{{Nbsp}}July 1901, Hill gifted the tower, and the adjacent schoolroom, to the Churchill Memorial Chapel and School Trust.{{R|"Deed of Gift 1901"}} Graham Clifford Awdry, Joseph Foster Wood's former business partner, wrote in Wood's obituary, "A charming memorial tower at Churchill, Somerset, is a good specimen of his originality."{{R|"Awdry 1917"}} Julian Orbach, an architectural historian with an interest in Victorian buildings,{{R|"Cardigan BPT 2024"}} has also described the tower as "[a] pretty Arts and Crafts Gothic clock tower."{{R|"Orbach 1987"|p=39}}{{Efn|Julian Orbach, in his book ''{{Citeref|Orbach|1987|Victorian Architecture in Britain|style=plain}}'' (1987), attributes the tower's architectural design to [[Thomas Ball Silcock|Silcock]] and Reay,{{R|"Orbach 1987"|p=39}} an architectural practice that was based in London and Bath.{{R|"Western Daily Press 20 February 1907"}} However, Andrew Foyle contradicts this attribution in his revised and enlarged edition of [[Nikolaus Pevsner]]'s ''{{Citeref|Foyle|Pevsner|2011|Somerset: North and Bristol|style=plain}}'' (2011), where he states that the tower was designed by [[John Foster (architect, born 1830)|Foster & Wood]].{{R|"Foyle Pevsner 2011"|p=456}}}}


=== Restoration ===
=== Restoration ===
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It was recognised that the long{{Hyphen}}term future of the tower lay either with listing the tower as an [[Monument|historic monument]] or that the parish council take over the maintenance of the tower.{{R|"Cheddar Valley Gazette 22 March 1974"}} By September 1976, the trust had applied to the [[Charity Commission for England and Wales|Charity Commissioner]] to have its responsibilities transferred to the parish council.{{R|"Cheddar Valley Gazette 30 September 1976"}} In the same month, John Edgar Howard Smith, the managing director of [[Smith of Derby Group]], the [[holding company]] of J. B. Joyce & Co, wrote to the parish council offering to carry out a free survey of the clock, although at the time of Smith's letter, the trust had recently refurbished and renovated the mechanism at a cost of two hundred pounds.{{R|"Cheddar Valley Gazette 7 October 1976"}}
It was recognised that the long{{Hyphen}}term future of the tower lay either with listing the tower as an [[Monument|historic monument]] or that the parish council take over the maintenance of the tower.{{R|"Cheddar Valley Gazette 22 March 1974"}} By September 1976, the trust had applied to the [[Charity Commission for England and Wales|Charity Commissioner]] to have its responsibilities transferred to the parish council.{{R|"Cheddar Valley Gazette 30 September 1976"}} In the same month, John Edgar Howard Smith, the managing director of [[Smith of Derby Group]], the [[holding company]] of J. B. Joyce & Co, wrote to the parish council offering to carry out a free survey of the clock, although at the time of Smith's letter, the trust had recently refurbished and renovated the mechanism at a cost of two hundred pounds.{{R|"Cheddar Valley Gazette 7 October 1976"}}


In 1977, for the [[Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Queen's Silver Jubilee]], the tower was cleaned by Arthur Raymond "Ray" Millard {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=80%|BEM}}, former chairman of Churchill parish council, and a team of volunteers.{{R|"Cheddar Valley Gazette 10 March 1977"}} In 1979, their work on restoring the tower was commemorated through a plaque affixed to the west side of the tower.{{R|"Cheddar Valley Gazette 5 July 1979"}} In the 1980s, Millard was interviewed about his life and work as [[site manager]] for the construction of [[City Hall, Bristol|Bristol City Hall]]. A [[cassette tape]] recording and transcript of this interview is held in the archives of [[Bristol Museum & Art Gallery]].{{R|"Millard 1990"}}
In 1977, for the [[Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Queen's Silver Jubilee]], the tower was cleaned by Arthur Raymond "Ray" Millard, a former [[Chair (officer)|chair]] of Churchill parish council, and a team of volunteers.{{R|"Cheddar Valley Gazette 10 March 1977"}} In 1979, their work on restoring the tower was commemorated through a plaque affixed to the west side of the tower.{{R|"Cheddar Valley Gazette 5 July 1979"}} In the 1980s, Millard was interviewed about his life and work as [[site manager]] for the construction of [[City Hall, Bristol|Bristol City Hall]]. A [[cassette tape]] recording and transcript of this interview is held in the archives of [[Bristol Museum & Art Gallery]].{{R|"Millard 1990"}}


=== Maintenance ===
=== Maintenance ===
On 25{{Nbsp}}October 1978, the parish council established a charitable trust to maintain the clock and tower as a public [[amenity]].{{R|"Charity Commission 277263"}} The Open Spaces and Allotments committee of the council is now responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the tower.{{R|"Churchill Parish Council 2020"}} In 1980, contractors were engaged by the council to treat the tower with a chemical to discourage pigeons from [[Bird#Resting and roosting|roosting]] and soiling the ornamental stonework.{{R|"Cheddar Valley Gazette 14 February 1980"}} On 19{{Nbsp}}January 1987, the tower was designated as a [[Listed building#Grade II|Grade II listed]] building,{{R|"Historic England 1129198"}} and in the same year, overgrown [[moss]] was removed from the wall and iron railings surrounding the tower.{{R|"Wells Journal 18 June 1987"}} In 2017, the clock was repaired and serviced, and the tower wall enclosure on Front Street was rebuilt.{{R|"The Tower 2017"}} The tower was opened to the public in the weeks leading up to the [[Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II#Central weekend|Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend]] at the beginning of June 2022.{{R|"Churchill Parish Council 2022"}}
On 25{{Nbsp}}October 1978, the parish council established a charitable trust to maintain the clock and tower as a public [[amenity]].{{R|"Charity Commission 277263"}} The Open Spaces and Allotments committee of the council is now responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the tower.{{R|"Churchill Parish Council 2024"}} In 1980, contractors were engaged by the council to treat the tower with a chemical to discourage pigeons from [[Bird#Resting and roosting|roosting]] and soiling the ornamental stonework.{{R|"Cheddar Valley Gazette 14 February 1980"}} On 19{{Nbsp}}January 1987, the tower was designated as a [[Listed building#Grade II|Grade II listed]] building,{{R|"Historic England 1129198"}} and in the same year, overgrown [[moss]] was removed from the wall and iron railings surrounding the tower.{{R|"Wells Journal 18 June 1987"}} In 2017, the clock was repaired and serviced, and the tower wall enclosure on Front Street rebuilt.{{R|"The Tower 2017"}} The tower was opened to the public in the weeks leading up to the [[Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II#Central weekend|Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend]] at the beginning of June 2022.{{R|"Churchill Parish Council 2022"}}


== Features and architecture ==
== Features and architecture ==
The tower has a cast iron clock face on each of its four sides, with [[Roman numerals]] indicating twelve hours on each face. The clocks are attached to a square tower that has [[Buttress|buttresses]] to the first floor.{{R|"Historic England 1129198"}} One mechanism drives the faces on all sides of the tower.{{R|"Historic England 1129198"}} The second floor holds the bell and a [[clockwork]] that is wound weekly by volunteers.{{R|"Cheddar Valley Gazette 22 March 1974"}}
The tower has a cast iron clock face on each of its four sides, with [[Roman numerals]] indicating twelve hours on each face. The clocks are attached to a square tower that has [[Buttress|buttresses]] to the first floor.{{R|"Historic England 1129198"}} One mechanism drives the faces on all sides of the tower.{{R|"Historic England 1129198"}} The second floor holds the bell and a [[clockwork]] that is wound weekly by volunteers.{{R|"Cheddar Valley Gazette 22 March 1974"}}
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-spacing: 2px; border: 1px solid darkgray"
! colspan="2" scope="col" style="text-align: center;" | '''{{Nowrap|Features and architecture}}'''{{R|"Historic England 1129198"}}
! colspan="2" scope="col" style="text-align: center" | '''{{Nowrap|Features and architecture}}'''{{R|"Historic England 1129198"}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|- style="vertical-align: top"
⚫
| {{Overlay|image=Churchill Jubilee Clock Tower.jpg |border=no |legendbox=no |grid=no |columns=2 |width=350 |height=400 |legend1start=1 |legend1end=14 |overlay1=[[Pyramid|Pyramidal]], plain{{Nbh}}tiled roof |overlay1tip=Pyramidal, plain tiled roof |overlay1top=80 |overlay1left=170 |overlay1colour=blue |overlay2=[[Bracket (architecture)|Bracketted]] [[eaves]] [[cornice]] |overlay2tip=Bracketted eaves cornice |overlay2top=100 |overlay2left=170 |overlay3=Three cusped and panelled{{Break}}[[Tracery|tracery lights]] in [[Patera#Architecture|paterae]]{{Break}}surrounds |overlay3tip=Three cusped and panelled tracery lights in paterae surrounds |overlay3top=140 |overlay3left=170 |overlay4=Clasping [[buttress]] |overlay4tip=Clasping buttress |overlay4top=140 |overlay4left=220 |overlay5=Inscription on [[Course (architecture)|string course]] |overlay5tip=Inscription on string course |overlay5top=170 |overlay5left=200 |overlay6=Cast iron clock face |overlay6tip=Cast iron clock face |overlay6top=180 |overlay6left=160 |overlay7=[[Corbel|Console]] |overlay7tip=Console |overlay7top=200 |overlay7left=230 |overlay8=Squared and coursed{{Break}}rockfaced [[sandstone]] |overlay8tip=Squared and coursed rockfaced sandstone |overlay8top=230 |overlay8left=180 |overlay9={{Nowrap|[[Ashlar]] dressings}}{{Efn|Ashlar consists of cut stone blocks that are squared so that smooth sides make fine joints so that level courses are possible. It is often used to face walls built of rubblestone, brick, or concrete.{{R|"Conway Roenisch 2015"}}}} |overlay9tip=Ashlar dressings |overlay9top1=240 |overlay9left1=150 |overlay9top2=240 |overlay9left2=220 |overlay10=Buttress |overlay10top1=275 |overlay10left1=140 |overlay10top2=275 |overlay10left2=220 |overlay11=Doorway with two [[trefoil]]{{Nbh}}cusped{{Break}}side windows under a [[Patera#Architecture|paterae]] [[frieze]] |overlay11tip=Doorway with two trefoil‑cusped side windows under a paterae frieze |overlay11top=240 |overlay11left=110 |overlay12=Walls with [[Pier (architecture)|pier]]s and [[Molding (decorative)|coved]] tops |overlay12tip=Walls with piers and coved tops |overlay12top=275 |overlay12left=260 |overlay13=Spear [[Guard rail|railings]] with [[wrought iron]]{{Break}}decorative panels at intervals |overlay13tip=Spear railings with wrought iron decorative panels |overlay13top=310 |overlay13left=30 |overlay14=Entrance gate |overlay14top=380 |overlay14left=30}}
| <gallery perrow=3 style="text-align:left">
| {{Multiple image
⚫
Churchill Jubilee Clock Tower photographed from Dinghurst Road.jpg|The tower as photographed from Dinghurst Road, Churchill (west side)
| align = right
⚫
Jubilee tower water fountain.jpg|[[Drinking fountain]] with cast iron tap and water pump fittings (east side)
| total_width = 600
⚫
Churchill Jubilee Clock Tower doorway.jpg|Entry to the tower is through a wooden door (north side)
| perrow = 3
⚫
Memorial Plaque on Churchill Clock Tower.jpg|Plaque commemorating the volunteers who cleaned the tower for the Queen's Silver Jubilee (west side)
| image_style = border:none;
⚫
Churchill Jubilee Clock Tower clockwork.jpg|Clockwork installed on the second floor of the tower
| image1 = Churchill Jubilee Clock Tower photographed from Dinghurst Road.jpg
⚫
Churchill Jubilee Clock Tower Four Faces.jpg|The four clock faces located on each side of the tower
⚫
| caption1 = The tower as photographed from Dinghurst Road, Churchill (west side)
</gallery>
| alt1 = Colour photograph of the tower and railings with tree branches obscuring the view in the foreground.
⚫
| {{Overlay|image=Churchill Jubilee Clock Tower.jpg |border=no |legendbox=no |grid=no |columns=2 |width=350 |height=400 |legend1start=1 |legend1end=14 |overlay1=[[Pyramid|Pyramidal]], plain{{Nbh}}tiled roof |overlay1tip=Pyramidal, plain tiled roof |overlay1top=80 |overlay1left=170 |overlay1colour=blue |overlay2=[[Bracket (architecture)|Bracketted]] [[eaves]] [[cornice]] |overlay2tip=Bracketted eaves cornice |overlay2top=100 |overlay2left=170 |overlay3=Three cusped and panelled{{Break}}[[Tracery|tracery lights]] in [[Patera#Architecture|paterae]]{{Break}}surrounds |overlay3tip=Three cusped and panelled tracery lights in paterae surrounds |overlay3top=140 |overlay3left=170 |overlay4=Clasping [[buttress]] |overlay4tip=Clasping buttress |overlay4top=140 |overlay4left=220 |overlay5=Inscription on [[Course (architecture)|string course]] |overlay5tip=Inscription on string course |overlay5top=170 |overlay5left=200 |overlay6=Cast iron clock face |overlay6tip=Cast iron clock face |overlay6top=180 |overlay6left=160 |overlay7=[[Corbel|Console]] |overlay7tip=Console |overlay7top=200 |overlay7left=230 |overlay8=Squared and coursed{{Break}}rockfaced [[sandstone]] |overlay8tip=Squared and coursed rockfaced sandstone |overlay8top=230 |overlay8left=180 |overlay9={{Nowrap|[[Ashlar]] dressings}}{{Efn|Ashlar consists of cut stone blocks that are squared so that smooth sides make fine joints so that level courses are possible. It is often used to face walls built of rubblestone, brick or concrete.{{R|"Conway Roenisch 2015"}}}} |overlay9tip=Ashlar dressings |overlay9top1=240 |overlay9left1=150 |overlay9top2=240 |overlay9left2=220 |overlay10=Buttress |overlay10top1=275 |overlay10left1=140 |overlay10top2=275 |overlay10left2=220 |overlay11=Doorway with two [[trefoil]]{{Nbh}}cusped{{Break}}side windows under a paterae [[frieze]] |overlay11tip=Doorway with two trefoil‑cusped side windows under a paterae frieze |overlay11top=240 |overlay11left=110 |overlay12=Walls with [[Pier (architecture)|pier]]s and [[Molding (decorative)|coved]] tops |overlay12tip=Walls with piers and coved tops |overlay12top=275 |overlay12left=260 |overlay13=Spear [[Guard rail|railings]] with [[wrought iron]]{{Break}}decorative panels at intervals |overlay13tip=Spear railings with wrought iron decorative panels |overlay13top=310 |overlay13left=30 |overlay14=Entrance gate |overlay14top=380 |overlay14left=30}}
| image2 = Jubilee tower water fountain.jpg
⚫
| caption2 = [[Drinking fountain]] with cast iron tap and water pump fittings (east side)
| alt2 = Colour photograph of the drinking fountain, with cast iron tap and water pump fittings painted in red, built into a niche on the east side of the tower.
| image3 = Churchill Jubilee Clock Tower doorway.jpg
⚫
| caption3 = Entry to the tower is through a wooden door (north side)
| alt3 = Colour photograph of the oak doorway with two trefoil‑cusped side windows that is surrounded by a paterae frieze.
| image4 = Memorial Plaque on Churchill Clock Tower.jpg
⚫
| caption4 = Plaque commemorating the volunteers who cleaned the tower for the Queen's Silver Jubilee (west side)
| alt4 = Colour photograph of the brass plaque with the commemoration written in upper case on white lettering. The commemoration reads as follows: "Restored to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II by A. R. Millard B.E.M. & volunteers 1977."
| image5 = Churchill Jubilee Clock Tower clockwork.jpg
⚫
| caption5 = [[Clockwork]] installed on the second floor of the tower
| alt5 = Close-up colour photograph of the clockwork installed in the tower. The metal body is painted green with a label affixed to the front that reads as follows: "Overhauled by Bristol Goldsmiths' Alliance 1939." To the right of this label is a brass plaque with the following inscription: "Repaired by James R. Cornish of Langford 1975."
| image6 = Churchill Jubilee Clock Tower Four Faces.jpg
⚫
| caption6 = The four clock faces located on each side of the tower
| alt6 = Colour photograph of the four cast iron clock faces. The Roman numerals indicating the twelve hours on each face are coloured gold.
}}
|}
|}


A drinking fountain, with a cast iron tap and [[Hand pump|water pump]] fittings, is built into a [[Niche (architecture)|niche]] on the east side of the tower.{{R|"Historic England 1129198"}}{{Efn|The fountain was intended to provide drinking water "for man and beast".{{R|"Archer 2009"}}}} A bench has been installed outside the Reading Room in the tower enclosure and a new pathway constructed to provide disabled access.{{R|"The Tower 2015"}} The inscription on the [[Course (architecture)|string course]] above the clock faces, and below the bell floor, reads as follows:
A drinking fountain, with a cast iron tap and [[Hand pump|water pump]] fittings, is built into a [[Niche (architecture)|niche]] on the east side of the tower.{{R|"Historic England 1129198"}}{{Efn|The fountain was intended to provide drinking water "for man and beast".{{R|"Archer 2009"}}}} A bench has been installed outside the Reading Room in the tower enclosure and a new pathway constructed to provide disabled access.{{R|"The Tower 2015"}} The inscription on the [[Course (architecture)|string course]] above the clock faces, and below the bell floor, reads as follows:{{R|"Bristol Times and Mirror 13 November 1915"}}


{{Bulleted list
{{Bulleted list
| West: "June 20 1897 This tower"
| West: "June 20, 1897. This tower"
| South: "& clock was erected by Sidney Hill JP of Langford House in"
| South: "& clock was erected by Sidney Hill J.P., of Langford House, in"
| East: "this parish to commemorate the sixty years of the beneficent"
| East: "this parish, to commemorate the sixty years of the beneficent"
| North: "reign of her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria"
| North: "reign of Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria."
}}
}}


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== Footnotes ==
== Footnotes ==
{{Notes}}
{{Notelist}}


== References ==
== References ==
Line 91: Line 107:
<!--Organised by author name and date-->
<!--Organised by author name and date-->
{{Refn|name="Archer 2009"|
{{Refn|name="Archer 2009"|
{{Cite book|last1=Archer |first1=Peter |editor1-last=Fryer |editor1-first=Jo |editor2-last=Gowar |editor2-first=John |editor3-last=Hale |editor3-first=Jill |editor4-last=Fuller |editor4-first=Neil |editor5-last=Kolombus |editor5-first=Alex |display-editors=2 |year=2009 |title=Mores Stories From Langford: History and tales of houses and families |chapter=25. Simon Sidney Hill |page=240 |publisher=Langford History Group |location=Lower Langford |language=en |isbn=978-0-9562253-1-3 |oclc=743449641}}}}
{{Cite book|last1=Archer |first1=Peter |editor1-last=Fryer |editor1-first=Jo |editor2-last=Gowar |editor2-first=John |editor3-last=Hale |editor3-first=Jill |editor4-last=Fuller |editor4-first=Neil |editor5-last=Kolombus |editor5-first=Alex |display-editors=2 |year=2009 |title=More Stories From Langford: History and tales of houses and families |chapter=25. Simon Sidney Hill |page=240 |publisher=Langford History Group |location=Lower Langford |language=en |isbn=978-0-9562253-1-3 |oclc=743449641}}}}


{{Refn|name="Conway Roenisch 2015"|
{{Refn|name="Conway Roenisch 2015"|
{{Cite book|last1=Conway |first1=Hazel |last2=Roenisch |first2=Rowan |year=2015 |title=Understanding architecture: An introduction to architecture and architectural history |publisher=[[Routledge]] |page=115 |location=London |language=en |isbn=978-0-203-97319-6 |oclc=906184770}}}}
{{Cite book|last1=Conway |first1=Hazel |last2=Roenisch |first2=Rowan |year=2015 |title=Understanding architecture: An introduction to architecture and architectural history |publisher=[[Routledge]] |page=115 |location=London |language=en |isbn=978-0-203-97319-6 |oclc=906184770}}}}

⚫
{{Refn|name="Foyle Pevsner 2011"|
{{Cite book|last1=Foyle |first1=Andrew |last2=Pevsner |first2=Nikolaus |author2-link=Nikolaus Pevsner |others=Michael Forsyth and Stephen Bird |year=2011 |title=Somerset: North and Bristol |section=Churchill with Langford |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |series=Pevsner Architectural Guides: The Buildings of England |pages=454{{Ndash}}457 |location=New Haven |language=en |isbn=978-0-300-12658-7 |oclc=779239637 |section-url=https://archive.org/details/somersetnorthbri0000foyl/page/456a |access-date=2 June 2024 |section-url-access=registration}}}}

{{Refn|name="Orbach 1987"|
{{Cite book|last1=Orbach |first1=Julian |year=1987 |title=Victorian Architecture in Britain |chapter=England. Avon |publisher=[[A & C Black]] |series=[[Blue Guides]] |pages=25{{Ndash}}39 |location=London |language=en |isbn=978-0-393-30070-3 |oclc=18558258 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/victorianarchite0000orba/page/25 |access-date=2 June 2024 |chapter-url-access=registration}}}}


<!--Journals and magazine-->
<!--Journals and magazine-->
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<!--The Tower-->
<!--The Tower-->
{{Refn|name="The Tower 2015"|
{{Refn|name="The Tower 2015"|
{{Cite magazine|last1=Langley |first1=Valerie |year=2015 |title=From the committees. Open Spaces |magazine=The Tower |publisher=Churchill parish council |issue=34 |series=Spring 2015 |page=3 |location=Churchill |language=en |url=http://www.churchillpc.org.uk/Churchill-Langford/UserFiles/Files/newsletter%20Annual%20report%202015.pdf#page=4 |access-date=21 November 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612125213/http://www.churchillpc.org.uk/Churchill-Langford/UserFiles/Files/newsletter%20Annual%20report%202015.pdf |archive-date=12 June 2020}}}}
{{Cite report|last1=Langley |first1=Valerie |year=2015 |title=From the committees. Open Spaces |magazine=The Tower |publisher=Churchill parish council |issue=34 |series=Spring 2015 |page=3 |location=Churchill |language=en |url=http://www.churchillpc.org.uk/Churchill-Langford/UserFiles/Files/newsletter%20Annual%20report%202015.pdf#page=4 |access-date=21 November 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612125213/http://www.churchillpc.org.uk/Churchill-Langford/UserFiles/Files/newsletter%20Annual%20report%202015.pdf |archive-date=12 June 2020}}}}


{{Refn|name="The Tower 2017"|
{{Refn|name="The Tower 2017"|
{{Cite magazine|last1=List |first1=Sue |year=2017 |title=Open spaces news |magazine=The Tower |publisher=Churchill parish council |issue=40 |series=Spring 2017 |page=3 |location=Churchill |language=en |url=http://www.churchillpc.org.uk/Churchill-Langford/UserFiles/Files/27341%20The%20Tower%20Issue%2040%20Spring%202017.pdf#page=3 |access-date=21 November 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922074347/http://www.churchillpc.org.uk/Churchill-Langford/UserFiles/Files/27341%20The%20Tower%20Issue%2040%20Spring%202017.pdf |archive-date=22 September 2020}}}}
{{Cite report|last1=List |first1=Sue |year=2017 |title=Open spaces news |magazine=The Tower |publisher=Churchill parish council |issue=40 |series=Spring 2017 |page=3 |location=Churchill |language=en |url=http://www.churchillpc.org.uk/Churchill-Langford/UserFiles/Files/27341%20The%20Tower%20Issue%2040%20Spring%202017.pdf#page=3 |access-date=21 November 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922074347/http://www.churchillpc.org.uk/Churchill-Langford/UserFiles/Files/27341%20The%20Tower%20Issue%2040%20Spring%202017.pdf |archive-date=22 September 2020}}}}


<!--Websites-->
<!--Websites-->
<!--In author alphabetical order, or reference name order where no author is identified-->
<!--In author alphabetical order, or reference name order where no author is identified-->
{{Refn|name="Cardigan BPT 2024"|
{{Cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |year=2024 |title=Julian Orbach Trustee |website=cardiganbpt.cymru |publisher=Cardigan Building Preservation Trust |language=en |url=https://cardiganbpt.cymru/julian-orbach-trustee |access-date=2 June 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240602080635/https://cardiganbpt.cymru/julian-orbach-trustee |archive-date=2 June 2024}}}}

{{Refn|name="Charity Commission 277263"|
{{Refn|name="Charity Commission 277263"|
{{Cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=25 October 1978 |title=The Clocktower Charity |website=register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk |publisher=[[Charity Commission for England and Wales|Charity Commission]] |location=Churchill |language=en |id=277263 |url=https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/277263/governing-document |access-date=16 September 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916072508/https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/277263/governing-document |archive-date=16 September 2021}}}}
{{Cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=25 October 1978 |title=The Clocktower Charity |website=register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk |publisher=[[Charity Commission for England and Wales|Charity Commission]] |location=Churchill |language=en |id=277263 |url=https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/277263/governing-document |access-date=16 September 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916072508/https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/277263/governing-document |archive-date=16 September 2021}}}}


{{Refn|name="Churchill Parish Council 2020"|
{{Refn|name="Churchill Parish Council 2024"|
{{Cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=20 January 2020 |title=Open Spaces & Allotments Committee |website=churchillpc.org.uk |publisher=Churchill parish council |location=Churchill |language=en |url=http://www.churchillpc.org.uk/Open_Space__and__Allotments_Committee_35384.aspx |access-date=19 August 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=<!-- Deny citation bot, as Internet Archive does not archive this URL correctly due to Javascript library issues-->https://archive.today/ecYHE |archive-date=19 August 2021}}}}
{{Cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=March 2024 |title=Committees and Meetings. Open Spaces & Allotments Committee |website=churchillpc.org.uk |publisher=Churchill parish council |location=Churchill |language=en |url=https://churchillpc.org.uk/parish-council/committees-and-meetings |access-date=7 June 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240607040005/https://churchillpc.org.uk/parish-council/committees-and-meetings |archive-date=7 June 2024}}}}


{{Refn|name="Churchill Parish Council 2022"|
{{Refn|name="Churchill Parish Council 2022"|
{{Cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=24 May 2022 |title=Royal connections with Churchill; places to look out for on the Scarecrow Trail |website=churchillpc.org.uk |publisher=Churchill parish council |location=Churchill |language=en |url=https://www.churchillpc.org.uk/_VirDir/CoreContents/News/Display.aspx?id=49482 |access-date=3 July 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605052714/https://www.churchillpc.org.uk/_VirDir/CoreContents/News/Display.aspx?id=49482 |archive-date=5 June 2022}}}}
{{Cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=24 May 2022 |title=Royal connections with Churchill; places to look out for on the Scarecrow Trail |website=churchillpc.org.uk |publisher=Churchill parish council |location=Churchill |language=en |url=https://www.churchillpc.org.uk/_VirDir/CoreContents/News/Display.aspx?id=49482 |access-date=7 June 2024 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605052714/https://www.churchillpc.org.uk/_VirDir/CoreContents/News/Display.aspx?id=49482 |archive-date=5 June 2022}}}}


{{Refn|name="Historic England 1129198"|
{{Refn|name="Historic England 1129198"|
{{Cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=19 January 1987 |title=Jubilee Clock Tower and attached Walls and Railing |website=historicengland.org.uk |publisher=[[Historic England]] |location=Churchill |language=en |id=1129198 |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1129198 |access-date=18 October 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116054217/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1129198 |archive-date=16 January 2021}}}}
{{Cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=19 January 1987 |title=Jubilee Clock Tower and attached Walls and Railing |website=historicengland.org.uk |publisher=[[Historic England]] |location=Churchill |language=en |id=1129198 |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1129198 |access-date=18 October 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116054217/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1129198 |archive-date=16 January 2021}}}}

{{Refn|name="Millard 1990"|
⚫
{{Cite web|last1=Millard |first1=Arthur Raymond |year=1990 |title=Industrial and Maritime History. Oral History. Interview with Arthur Raymond Millard |website=museums.bristol.gov.uk |publisher=[[Bristol Museum & Art Gallery]] |location=Bristol |language=en |id=OH85 |format=Audio cassette tape |url=https://museums.bristol.gov.uk/narratives.php?irn=12679 |access-date=2 November 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531091200/https://museums.bristol.gov.uk/narratives.php?irn=12679 |archive-date=31 May 2022}}}}


<!--Archives-->
<!--Archives-->
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{{Refn|name="Foster Wood 1870"|
{{Refn|name="Foster Wood 1870"|
{{Cite archive|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=1870 |item=Mounted photograph of Church Mission School, Lucknow, India, designed by Bristol architects Foster and Wood in Bristol Byzantine style |institution=[[Bristol Archives]] |collection=Record relating to Foster and Wood, Architects |location=Bristol |language=en |item-id=45855/1 |item-url=https://archives.bristol.gov.uk/records/45855 |access-date=26 May 2021}}}}
{{Cite archive|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |year=1870 |item=Mounted photograph of Church Mission School, Lucknow, India, designed by Bristol architects Foster and Wood in Bristol Byzantine style |institution=[[Bristol Archives]] |collection=Record relating to Foster and Wood, Architects |location=Bristol |language=en |item-id=45855/1 |item-url=https://archives.bristol.gov.uk/records/45855 |access-date=26 May 2021}}}}

⚫
{{Refn|name="Millard 1990"|
⚫
{{Cite archive|last1=Millard |first1=Arthur Raymond |date=1990 |item=Oral History. Interview with Arthur Raymond Millard |institution=[[Bristol Museum & Art Gallery]] |collection=Industrial and Maritime History |location=Bristol |language=en |item-id=OH85 |type=Audio cassette tape |item-url=http://museums.bristol.gov.uk/narratives.php?irn=12679 |access-date=10 January 2022}}}}


<!--Newspapers-->
<!--Newspapers-->
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{{Refn|name="Bath Chronicle 25 September 1937"|
{{Refn|name="Bath Chronicle 25 September 1937"|
{{Cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=25 September 1937 |title=Married Three Weeks. Death of Mr. G. Awdry, of Bathford |work=[[Bath Chronicle|Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette]] |page=15 |oclc=1016318847 |language=en |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000515/19370925/116/0015 |access-date=11 June 2020 |url-access=subscription}}}}
{{Cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=25 September 1937 |title=Married Three Weeks. Death of Mr. G. Awdry, of Bathford |work=[[Bath Chronicle|Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette]] |page=15 |oclc=1016318847 |language=en |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000515/19370925/116/0015 |access-date=11 June 2020 |url-access=subscription}}}}

<!--Bristol Times and Mirror-->
{{Refn|name="Bristol Times and Mirror 13 November 1915"|
{{Cite news|last1=Robinson |first1=William James |date=13 November 1915 |title=Churchill's Part in the War |work=Bristol Times and Mirror |page=17 |oclc=2252826 |language=en |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000984/19151113/017/0017 |access-date=2 June 2024 |url-access=subscription}}}}


<!--Cheddar Valley Gazette-->
<!--Cheddar Valley Gazette-->
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{{Refn|name="Wells Journal 18 June 1987"|
{{Refn|name="Wells Journal 18 June 1987"|
{{Cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=18 June 1987 |title=Action call to repair tower wall |work=[[Mid Somerset Series|Wells Journal]] |page=9 |language=en |oclc=1065219374 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000308/19870618/053/0009 |access-date=16 April 2021 |url-access=subscription}}}}
{{Cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=18 June 1987 |title=Action call to repair tower wall |work=[[Mid Somerset Series|Wells Journal]] |page=9 |language=en |oclc=1065219374 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000308/19870618/053/0009 |access-date=16 April 2021 |url-access=subscription}}}}

<!--Western Daily Press-->
{{Refn|name="Western Daily Press 20 February 1907"|
{{Cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=20 February 1907 |title=Churchill Cottage Homes: Sidney Hill's Gift |work=[[Western Daily Press]] |page=7 |location=Bristol |language=en |oclc=949912923 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]] |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000264/19070220/236/0007 |access-date=23 May 2020 |url-access=subscription}}}}


<!--Weston Mercury-->
<!--Weston Mercury-->
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== Further reading ==
== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book|last1=Hodges |first1=Michael Alexander |year=1996 |title=Churchill: A Brief History of the area of the Civil Parish |edition=Revised 13 September 1996 |publisher=West Country Design |location=Wrington |language=en |oclc=31076058 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Hodges |first1=Michael Alexander |year=1996 |title=Churchill: A Brief History of the area of the Civil Parish |edition=Revised 13 September 1996 |publisher=West Country Design |location=Wrington |language=en |oclc=31076058 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Ferson |first1=Earl Bixby |year=1903 |title=The tower clock and how to make it; a practical and theoretical treatise on the construction of a chiming tower clock, with full working drawings photographed to scale. |publisher=Hazlitt & Walker |location=Chicago |language=en |oclc=1145081500 |hdl=2027/loc.ark:/13960/t0gt66c5h |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Ferson |first1=Earl Bixby |year=1903 |title=The tower clock and how to make it; a practical and theoretical treatise on the construction of a chiming tower clock, with full working drawings photographed to scale. |publisher=Hazlitt & Walker |location=Chicago |language=en |oclc=1145081500 |hdl=2027/loc.ark:/13960/t0gt66c5h |hdl-access=free |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Leeming |first1=Charles Frederick |editor-last=Langley |editor-first=Peter |others=Sir John Wills |year=1977 |title=Langford and Churchill Guide |publisher=Cliftonprint |location=Churchill |language=en |oclc=852053375 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Leeming |first1=Charles Frederick |editor-last=Langley |editor-first=Peter |others=Sir John Wills |year=1977 |title=Langford and Churchill Guide |publisher=Cliftonprint |location=Churchill |language=en |oclc=852053375 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Thomas |first1=Steve |last2=Thomas |first2=Darlah |year=2013 |title=Joyce of Whitchurch: Clockmakers 1690 to 1965 |publisher=Inbeat publication |location=Chester |language=en |isbn=978-0-9573733-1-0 |oclc=1059414120 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Thomas |first1=Steve |last2=Thomas |first2=Darlah |year=2013 |title=Joyce of Whitchurch: Clockmakers 1690 to 1965 |publisher=Inbeat publication |location=Chester |language=en |isbn=978-0-9573733-1-0 |oclc=1059414120 |ref=none}}
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{{Bulleted list
{{Bulleted list
| [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-50544573 What is the point of a clock tower?] article by Hayley Westcott at [[BBC News Online]].
| [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-50544573 What is the point of a clock tower?] article by Hayley Westcott at [[BBC News Online]].
| [https://www.trevanion.com/about/the-joyce-building/ The Joyce Building] at [[Whitchurch, Shropshire|Whitchurch]], Shropshire.
| [https://trevanion.com/about The Joyce Building] at [[Whitchurch, Shropshire|Whitchurch]], Shropshire.
| [https://www.smithofderby.com/home/our-group-of-companies John Smith & Sons], Midland Clock Works, Derby Ltd.
| [https://www.smithofderby.com/home/our-group-of-companies John Smith & Sons], Midland Clock Works, Derby Ltd.
| {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121035800/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2018/03/22/nicholas-smith-smith-derby-clockmakers-obituary/ |date=21 January 2021 |title=Obituary of Nicholas Smith |nolink=yes}}, former managing director of Smith of Derby, clockmakers.
| {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121035800/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2018/03/22/nicholas-smith-smith-derby-clockmakers-obituary/ |date=21 January 2021 |title=Obituary of Nicholas Smith |nolink=yes}}, former managing director of Smith of Derby, clockmakers.
Line 193: Line 226:


{{DEFAULTSORT:Jubilee Clock Tower, Churchill}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jubilee Clock Tower, Churchill}}
[[Category:1898 establishments in England]]
[[Category:19th-century architecture in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:19th-century architecture in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in North Somerset]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in North Somerset]]
[[Category:Clock towers in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Clock towers in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria]]
[[Category:Gothic Revival architecture in Somerset]]
[[Category:Gothic Revival architecture in Somerset]]
[[Category:Grade II listed buildings in North Somerset]]
[[Category:Grade II listed buildings in North Somerset]]

Latest revision as of 04:38, 2 August 2024

Jubilee Clock Tower
Picture of the Jubilee Clock Tower at Churchill in North Somerset, taken from the west of the tower, looking towards Dinghurst Road
Jubilee Clock Tower
TypClock tower
StandortChurchill, North Somerset, England
Coordinates51°20′02″N 2°47′59″W / 51.333996°N 2.799628°W / 51.333996; -2.799628
Height12 metres (40 feet)
Gegründet1897 (127 years ago) (1897)
GründerSidney Hill
Built1898 (1898)
Built forDiamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria
Restored1976–77
ArchitectJoseph Foster Wood
Architectural style(s)Perpendicular Gothic style
Governing bodyChurchill parish council
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameJubilee Clock Tower and attached walls and railings
Designated19 January 1987 (37 years ago) (1987-01-19)
Reference no.1129198
Jubilee Clock Tower, Churchill is located in Somerset
Jubilee Clock Tower, Churchill
Location of Jubilee Clock Tower in Somerset

The Jubilee Clock Tower, striking clock, and drinking fountain, is a Grade II listed building in the village of Churchill, North Somerset, built to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897. It stands on a plot between Dinghurst Road and Front Street, and is a prominent landmark at the entrance to the village. Designed by Joseph Foster Wood of Foster & Wood, Bristol, the tower is made of local stone and is of perpendicular Gothic style.

The tower has a cast iron clock face on each of its four sides with one mechanism driving the clock hands. The escapement and clockwork was supplied by J. B. Joyce & Co in 1898 and is wound weekly by volunteers. The clock strikes the hours and chimes the Westminster Quarters. Responsibility for maintenance of the tower transferred to the parish council after the original trust could no longer afford to maintain it. The whole structure, tower, walls, and railings, was designated as a Grade II listed building on 19 January 1987, nearly ninety years after the tower was built.

History

[edit]

Inception

[edit]

In 1897, Sidney Hill, a local businessman and benefactor, purchased the old turnpike house near the Nelson Arms pub in Churchill, North Somerset, and a house and plot of land between Dinghurst Road and Front Street, near the entrance to Churchill village. Both sites were in a state of disrepair and were unsightly.[1] Hill planned to clear the old buildings and debris, plant ornamental shrubs, and enclose the plots with iron railings; similar in design to the then plantation in front of the nearby Methodist church and schoolroom that Hill had built in Front Street in 1881.[2] Furthermore, his intention was to build a clock tower on the site to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897.[1]

Design

[edit]

Hill engaged Joseph Foster Wood of Foster & Wood, Bristol, to design the tower.[3] Wood was the son and nephew of the founders of Foster & Wood.[4] They were a busy architectural practice in Victorian Bristol and many landmark buildings in the city were designed by them, including Fosters Almshouse (1861), Colston Hall (1864), Grand Hotel, Broad Street (1864 to 1869), Bristol Grammar School (1875), and a large number of Wesleyan chapels.[5] Hill had used the same practice to design the Methodist church and schoolroom at Churchill.[2]

Build

[edit]

The tower was built by the end of 1897, and in the following year, J. B. Joyce & Co installed the bell and clock mechanism.[6] On 31 July 1901, Hill gifted the tower, and the adjacent schoolroom, to the Churchill Memorial Chapel and School Trust.[7] Graham Clifford Awdry, Joseph Foster Wood's former business partner, wrote in Wood's obituary, "A charming memorial tower at Churchill, Somerset, is a good specimen of his originality."[3] Julian Orbach, an architectural historian with an interest in Victorian buildings,[8] has also described the tower as "[a] pretty Arts and Crafts Gothic clock tower."[9]: 39 [a]

Restoration

[edit]

By March 1974, the wall surrounding the tower was crumbling, and the tower stonework required pointing and cleaning. The clock's winding mechanism was also in a poor state of repair and it would have cost a thousand pounds to mechanise it. The trust responsible for the upkeep of the tower had an annual income of five hundred pounds and was paid twelve pounds (equivalent to one hundred and twenty pounds in 2020) per year by the parish council to maintain the tower.[12] The trust had asked for more help from the parish council as it was not possible to maintain the tower and the other church properties for which they were responsible.[6]

It was recognised that the long-term future of the tower lay either with listing the tower as an historic monument or that the parish council take over the maintenance of the tower.[12] By September 1976, the trust had applied to the Charity Commissioner to have its responsibilities transferred to the parish council.[13] In the same month, John Edgar Howard Smith, the managing director of Smith of Derby Group, the holding company of J. B. Joyce & Co, wrote to the parish council offering to carry out a free survey of the clock, although at the time of Smith's letter, the trust had recently refurbished and renovated the mechanism at a cost of two hundred pounds.[6]

In 1977, for the Queen's Silver Jubilee, the tower was cleaned by Arthur Raymond "Ray" Millard, a former chair of Churchill parish council, and a team of volunteers.[14] In 1979, their work on restoring the tower was commemorated through a plaque affixed to the west side of the tower.[15] In the 1980s, Millard was interviewed about his life and work as site manager for the construction of Bristol City Hall. A cassette tape recording and transcript of this interview is held in the archives of Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.[16]

Maintenance

[edit]

On 25 October 1978, the parish council established a charitable trust to maintain the clock and tower as a public amenity.[17] The Open Spaces and Allotments committee of the council is now responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the tower.[18] In 1980, contractors were engaged by the council to treat the tower with a chemical to discourage pigeons from roosting and soiling the ornamental stonework.[19] On 19 January 1987, the tower was designated as a Grade II listed building,[20] and in the same year, overgrown moss was removed from the wall and iron railings surrounding the tower.[21] In 2017, the clock was repaired and serviced, and the tower wall enclosure on Front Street rebuilt.[22] The tower was opened to the public in the weeks leading up to the Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend at the beginning of June 2022.[23]

Features and architecture

[edit]

The tower has a cast iron clock face on each of its four sides, with Roman numerals indicating twelve hours on each face. The clocks are attached to a square tower that has buttresses to the first floor.[20] One mechanism drives the faces on all sides of the tower.[20] The second floor holds the bell and a clockwork that is wound weekly by volunteers.[12]

A drinking fountain, with a cast iron tap and water pump fittings, is built into a niche on the east side of the tower.[20][c] A bench has been installed outside the Reading Room in the tower enclosure and a new pathway constructed to provide disabled access.[26] The inscription on the string course above the clock faces, and below the bell floor, reads as follows:[27]

  • West: "June 20, 1897. This tower"
  • South: "& clock was erected by Sidney Hill J.P., of Langford House, in"
  • East: "this parish, to commemorate the sixty years of the beneficent"
  • North: "reign of Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria."

See also

[edit]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ Julian Orbach, in his book Victorian Architecture in Britain (1987), attributes the tower's architectural design to Silcock and Reay,[9]: 39  an architectural practice that was based in London and Bath.[10] However, Andrew Foyle contradicts this attribution in his revised and enlarged edition of Nikolaus Pevsner's Somerset: North and Bristol (2011), where he states that the tower was designed by Foster & Wood.[11]: 456 
  2. ^ Ashlar consists of cut stone blocks that are squared so that smooth sides make fine joints so that level courses are possible. It is often used to face walls built of rubblestone, brick, or concrete.[24]
  3. ^ The fountain was intended to provide drinking water "for man and beast".[25]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Churchill. The Diamond Jubilee". Weston‑super‑Mare Gazette, and General Advertiser. 17 April 1897. p. 8. OCLC 751660952. Retrieved 10 June 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. ^ a b "Churchill. The New Wesleyan Memorial Chapel". Weston Mercury. Weston‑super‑Mare. 14 May 1881. p. 2. OCLC 751662463. Retrieved 10 June 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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  21. ^ "Action call to repair tower wall". Wells Journal. 18 June 1987. p. 9. OCLC 1065219374. Retrieved 16 April 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  22. ^ List, Sue (2017). Open spaces news (PDF). The Tower (Report). Spring 2017. Churchill: Churchill parish council. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
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  24. ^ Conway, Hazel; Roenisch, Rowan (2015). Understanding architecture: An introduction to architecture and architectural history. London: Routledge. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-203-97319-6. OCLC 906184770.
  25. ^ Archer, Peter (2009). "25. Simon Sidney Hill". In Fryer, Jo; Gowar, John; et al. (eds.). More Stories From Langford: History and tales of houses and families. Lower Langford: Langford History Group. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-9562253-1-3. OCLC 743449641.
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Further reading

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  • Hodges, Michael Alexander (1996). Churchill: A Brief History of the area of the Civil Parish (Revised 13 September 1996 ed.). Wrington: West Country Design. OCLC 31076058.
  • Ferson, Earl Bixby (1903). The tower clock and how to make it; a practical and theoretical treatise on the construction of a chiming tower clock, with full working drawings photographed to scale. Chicago: Hazlitt & Walker. hdl:2027/loc.ark:/13960/t0gt66c5h. OCLC 1145081500.
  • Leeming, Charles Frederick (1977). Langley, Peter (ed.). Langford and Churchill Guide. Sir John Wills. Churchill: Cliftonprint. OCLC 852053375.
  • Thomas, Steve; Thomas, Darlah (2013). Joyce of Whitchurch: Clockmakers 1690 to 1965. Chester: Inbeat publication. ISBN 978-0-9573733-1-0. OCLC 1059414120.
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