Historic pub clock to tick again after more than 30 years

Renovation at the Dun Cow is due for completion in early 2020.

A much-loved Sunderland timepiece that had not ticked in over 30 years will be restored to full working order within days.

The dual-faced clock at the top of the Grade II-listed Dun Cow pub in High Street West will tell the time for the first time since the 1980s.

It has been a familiar sight in the city centre since 1901 when the pub was built.

The work has been carried out by the Cumbria Clock Company, Penrith-based specialists who look after numerous prestigious timepieces around the country, including clocks at Salisbury Cathedral and Hampton Court Palace.

The next time you see the Dun Cow clock looking like this, it really will be quarter-to-seven.

The work at the Dun Cow has gone - like clockwork.

Cumbria Clock Company’s technical sales manager, Keith Cotton, said: “We removed the clock back in August; the hands, the dials and then the gearings.

“I would guess the existing electrical gearings been there since the 1960s and they were beyond repair, so we’ve replaced them. It’s been fairly straightforward. It will be illuminated from the rear and we’ve replaced the glazing and restored the dial. It will be back up and working soon.”

The repair is part of £760,000 worth of restoration work to the Dun Cow and its nearby sister pub the Peacock. Both are Grade-II listed and the money has come from owners Leighton Management, Sunderland City Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Both pubs are open for business, but restoration on stonework and roofing will continue until early in 2020 when the scaffolding will be removed uncovering the clock, with the correct time.