The Edwardian Chamberlain Clock of Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter

The Edwardian Chamberlain Clock of Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter

In August 2020, the Chamberlain Clock in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter was removed for restoration work. It first appeared in 1903 as a tribute to Joseph Chamberlain's tour of South Africa following the Second Boer War.

The Chamberlain Clock is an Edwardian, cast-iron clock tower in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham, England. It was erected in 1903 to mark Joseph Chamberlain's tour of South Africa between 26 December 1902 and 25 February 1903, after the end of the Second Boer War. The clock was unveiled during Chamberlain's lifetime, in January 1904, by Mary Crowninshield Endicott, Joseph Chamberlain's third wife.

Standing at the junction of Vyse and Frederick Streets with Warstone Lane, it is a local landmark and symbol of the Quarter. Chamberlain had been a resident on Frederick Street and had also helped jewellers through his campaign work to abolish Plate Duties - a tax affecting jewellery tradesmen of the time. The timepiece was originally powered by a clockwork winding handle, was later adapted to electricity, and eventually fell into disrepair and lost its chime.

The clock was fully restored in 1989. On 22 August 2020, the Chamberlain Clock was removed for restoration work by Smith of Derby. It was restored to its site on 20 March 2021.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons

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