The time when Sunderland seemed to have a clock on every corner. See if these memories make you tick

There was a time when there were several public clocks in the city.

They all added to the character and charm of the area and to tell us all about them, we have turned to an expert on the town’s history.

Philip Curtis, of Sunderland Antiquarian Society, shared this feature on clocks which were part of the Wearside skyline for decades.

‘The main one was the Town Hall clock in Fawcett Street which chimed out the hours and quarters and could be heard all across the town,’ said Philip.

Robert Gothard winding the Town Hall clock.

‘It is claimed that the wind was in the right direction its chimes could be heard as far away as Penshaw Monument.

‘Sadly, the clock was lost with the demolition of the Town Hall. Old habits die hard and for years afterwards many Wearsiders still looked up into the space where the clock had once been, expecting to find out the time’.

Two other wonderful public clocks are sadly no longer in the town centre, he said. The huge clock which dominated the tower of the north end of the railway station in High Street West was demolished in 1966 and of course the well-loved Echo clock is no longer in Bridge Street.

There have been a few attempts to replace the Town Hall clock. For a while a smaller model was erected in the Market Square but that is no longer there.

Other attempts included the large clock on the corner, opposite the south end of the station, but alas this has not been working for some years.

Another large clock was also put on the side of the new building erected on the Town Hall site and this still can be seen in Fawcett Street.

Others include the two-faced clock on Mackie’s Corner, the large one attached to Marks and Spencer’s in High Street West, Jopling’s Clock in John Street and the three-faced clock above the Courthouse in Keel Square.

Philip added: “There was an era when public clocks were felt necessary but that is long gone.

The four-sided clock on The Exchange Building.

“Mobile phones and wristwatches have all but made them redundant but a little of the character of the old town seems to have been lost with their demise.”

We would love you to share your memories of Sunderland’s past. Tell us more by emailing [email protected]

Our thanks go to Philip and Sunderland Antiquarian Society. To find out more about the society, visit its Facebook page or its website at http://www.sunderland-antiquarians.org/

The end of the station clock tower in 1966.

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