PUBLIC CLOCKS AROUND IPSWICH TOWN CENTRE
Visual assessment conducted early November 2009
- Christchurch Mansion -- going well
- St Margaret's Church, Soane St -- going well
- County Hall, St Helen's St -- not going well
- St Clement's Church, Star La -- not going well
- Loch Fyne, Duke St. -- going well
- Trinity Church Fore Hamlet -- going well
- Custom House, Waterfront -- going well
- St Mary Quay Church, Key St -- not going well
- Price's, now Ollie's, Tacket St -- going well
- St Peter's Church, College St -- going well
- Railway station car park -- going well
- Royal Mail, Commercial Rd -- not going well
- CSV Media, Portman Rd -- not going well
- St Mary Elms Church, Elm St -- going well
- St Matthew's Church, Civic Dr -- not going well
- Elim Church, Barrack Corner -- not going well
- Samuels, Westgate St -- going well
- Town Hall, Cornhill -- going well
- Tower Ramparts Centre -- going well
- The Walk, Tavern St -- not going well
- Croydon's (Black's) Tavern St -- going well
- Yorkshire Build Soc Tavern St -- going well
- Electric House, Tower Ramps. -- going well
- The Cricketers, Tower Ramps -- going well
- Robt Ransome, Tower Ramps -- going well
- St Mary le Tower Church -- going well
Since I was implicated in the 'Tom Gondris Challenge' (Newsletter
October 2009) of reassessing the town's public clocks, the above review
has been undertaken. The numbering sequence is based on beginning in
the north with Christchurch Mansion and St Margaret's Church progressing
clockwise (what else?) east, south, west, then returning to the north
with Tower Ramparts.
In overall terms and probably a decade on, things have declined. The
current economic climate precludes owners/organisations from spending on
maintaining invariably ancient time pieces requiring that twice a year
hourly adjustment. I suspect the horology expertise needed to maintain
our street viewed clocks is a diminishing skill in our computer age.
Congratulations to those with sufficient civic pride in keeping the
clocks going, and to those responsible for the sad static hands perhaps
they can be encouraged to get them moving. This applies particularly to
clocks numbered 3, 13 and 16, these being in key open locations and
would restore the feeling of pride in our town, especially so if
illuminated at night. This review indicates a 30% non-functioning rate
and raises the question how this would compare with similar sized venues
in East Anglia, let alone mainland European urban centres where my
suspicion is that greater community zeal exists.
Please let me know if you find errors in my analysis, in particular if I
have failed to discover some worthy contender in the heart of our town.
I am aware of good examples further out of town, but the recording of
these (invariably on cycle) will await more suitable weather.
BRIAN
JEPSON
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Cover, issue 178
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