A look at Rochdale Town Hall Clock, Greater Manchester, on Friday 13th February 2015.
Rochdale Town Hall is a Victorian-era municipal building and is considered as being one of the finest municipal buildings in the country and is rated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. Built in the Gothic Revival style at a cost of £160,000 (£12.6 million as of 2014) it was inaugurated for the governance of the Municipal Borough of Rochdale on 27th September 1871. The architect, William Henry Crossland, was the winner of a competition held in 1864 to design a new Town Hall.
In 1882 or 1883, dry rot was found in the 240-foot (73 m) high spire. On the recommendation of Rochdale's Borough Surveyor, contractors were engaged to rebuild it. The spire was to be demolished to clear the way for a replacement. It was rumoured that the workmen who were dismantling the top section of the wooden spire may have tried to speed up the dismantling process with matches and, at 9:20 am on 10 April 1883, a blaze was discovered. Despite the efforts of volunteers and the local fire brigade, 100 minutes after the discovery of the fire the entire spire, including a statue of Saint George and the Dragon, had been destroyed. Alfred Waterhouse was given the task of designing a 190-foot (58 m) stone replacement. His work on the clock tower, which was built between 1885 and 1887 about 15 yards (14 m) further to the east than the original shows many similarities to Manchester Town Hall which he also designed. The tower was opened in 1888; an inscribed plaque commemorates the fire of 1883.
The present clock tower is 190 feet (58 m) tall. The first stone was laid by Thomas Schofield JP, Alderman and Rochdale Borough Councillor, on 19 October 1885 and the tower was declared complete on 20 June 1887. It contains five bells which ring on the hour and at 15-minute intervals.
The building came to the attention of Adolf Hitler, who was said to have admired it so much that he wished to ship the building, brick-by-brick, to Nazi Germany had the United Kingdom been defeated in the Second World War.
The following are links to videos of other clocks I have visited:
LONDON BIG BEN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR7b8lF3R7wLUTON TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Pe1v45i7NEAMPTHILL TOWN CLOCK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNLUW_t7a-cTROWBRIDGE TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reYZ0y1ZzUcHEREFORD MARKET HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlBmfDemduECARTERS GREEN CLOCK TOWER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6plAPnhGbPAKIDSGROVE VICTORIA HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXzRKB3QhwQCREWE TOWN CLOCK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3UQBhXepVECREWE MARKET HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6irgbC4h6cNOTTINGHAM COUNCIL HOUSE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7gtmQNpiZMMANCHESTER TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEfwEGOAzTUECCLES TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mawzgYtgs2EHYDE TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udIeuVQmYG8DUKINFIELD TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmVmhsBeXFASTALYBRIDGE CIVIC HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_cOzzpVphABOLTON TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVK3Qm2OuxACHORLEY TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV3XhBDpzPMDARWEN TOWN AND MARKET HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPSMoh98wPAGREAT HARWOOD MERCER MEMORIAL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rn9oasubQYBURNLEY TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t93wBGI5hqQCOLNE TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYIFrZn3bcgLANCASTER TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pgMtYQg7LwKENDAL TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QBC48LkQ2ELIVERPOOL VICTORIA BUILDING
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JBfno-l7iwBIRKENHEAD TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsSmZFVio9sSOUTHPORT TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXEULIyA4UsBUXTON TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mlmh2dWQvn4BUXTON DEVONSHIRE DOME
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DniJcUlWEDAHALIFAX TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHEs-C01GXcBRADFORD CITY HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSiFTht6rNQCLECKHEATON TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muECZnIDp7MDEWSBURY TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh_K51Tqdp4BATLEY LIBRARY AND ART GALLERY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDWQpRIWgTEMORLEY TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsb3zcA2YigLEEDS TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2V8AqmMP2wLEEDS THORNTON'S ARCADE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tseZN5hVmlULEEDS GRAND ARCADE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCotxDuD41kSHEFFIELD TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVD0cfWuRXcHULL GUILDHALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15WIR59M5I4BARROW-IN-FURNESS TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V4Vy0MjWO0SOUTH SHIELDS TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0ZotYNuFNAABERGAVENNY TOWN HALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_NFYdBXbMEAbout the Site 🌐
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