Margate Jubilee Clock Tower

Margate Jubilee Clock Tower. . , Following much local debate about how best to celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887, the choice of the townspeople was to build a Clock Tower. A Committee was formed, chaired by the Mayor of Margate, to oversee arrangements and collect donations. A design by Henry Arthur Cheers, of Twickenham, was eventually chosen and work commenced in late 1888, with Frederick Pearce, a builder from Westgate-on-Sea, being awarded the contract., The clock mechanism was produced by William Potts of Leeds. The four five-feet diameter dials were illuminated by gas and the five bells to chime every quarter hour were cast by John Warner and Son of London The bells were replaced in 1908 by bells cast by Gillett and Johnston of Croydon., The Clock Tower was officially opened on 24th May 1889, Queen Victoria's 70th birthday, in a ceremony led by the Mayor, Alderman William Leach Lewis. In 2005, the clock mechanism was replaced by electric equipment and the chimes are now produced by a synthesised electronic sound. The Clock Tower is a Grade II listed building., The Time Balll on top of the Clock Tower was raised slowly just before 1.00pm each day and was dropped precisely on the hour. This allowed ships off Margate and people in the town to set their clocks accurately, in the days before radio time signals., The Time Ball had not worked since the early part of the 20th century and Arnold Schwartzman OBE RDI suggested to Margate Civic Society that funds should be raised to restore the Time Ball to full working order, as a way of the town commemorating the Diamond Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II. The Society took up the challenge and, thanks to sales of Clock Tower related goods and many generous donations, restoration work by the Cumbria Clock Company commenced in January 2014., The completed restoration of the Time Ball was marked by an official opening ceremony on 24th May 2014, the 125th anniversary of the Clock Tower's opening.