Refurbished iconic Shrewsbury clock set to shine
The iconic clock above Shrewsbury Market Hall is shining bright once again after being given some tender loving care as part of overall maintenance works to the building.
The final stages of the refurbishment process were able to be completed following the removal of scaffolding surrounding the clock tower.
The structure had been put in place to allow essential maintenance work to the building to be a carried out. Its presence provided the perfect opportunity to repair the clock face and improve the illumination.
Passers-by got a sneak peak of the newly illuminated numerals on the clock face last week when scaffolding started to come down. Now the clock tower is completely free from the structure specialists Smith of Derby, who have been carrying out the refurbishment work, have been able start the clock moving again and light-up the hands to complete the job.
Kate Gittins, site facilities manager at the market said: “The Market Hall clock tower is one of the town’s most recognisable features and we are delighted to be able to restore this historic timepiece to its former glory. There was a slight delay between the illumination of the numbers and the hands but we had to make sure the scaffolding was entirely out of the way before the clock could be officially restarted. The rest of the scaffolding is due to come down in the next four to six weeks.”
The Market Hall officially opened in 1965 but trading began on November 21, 1964. The building, which cost around £1 million and was developed by Second Covent Garden Property Co. Ltd, stands on the site of the old Market Hall which was built in 1869.
The clock itself was made by London based firm, Thwaites and Reed Ltd, and is 14ft in diameter.
