The masonry and stone Torre del Reloj in Peñafiel

The Torre del Reloj de Peñafiel is a masonry and stone tower that stands over the oldest neighborhood of the town of Peñafiel, in Valladolid. It was part of the Iglesia de San Esteban de Peñafiel, a Romanesque building erected in 1086, which collapsed in 1613. Records from the Iglesia de Santa María de Mediavilla illustrate this collapse. Research indicates that a mechanical clock mechanism was installed in the tower as early as 1532.

In 1752, the Catastro de Ensenada assigned 100 reales for regulating the clock. The current machinery dates from 1884, built by the company PROST FRÈRES and installed by the Valladolid clockmaker José Martínez de Velasco to replace a much older mechanism. In 1897, repairs were documented by the Peñafiel clockmaker Celestino de Juana, who worked on it until his death in 1919. His final repairs were carried out in the 1920s by the Peñafiel clockmaker Mariano Andrés.

The Campana del Concejo, also known as the clock bell, has marked the life of the inhabitants for many years, serving both the Concejo de Peñafiel and the parish. The bell dates back to 1664, as stated in its inscriptions. The clock functioned almost continuously until 1998, stopping until 2012, when it was restored and restarted by Daniel Sanz Platero. The clock is wound manually, which provides power for eight days.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons