Something’s not quite right if you glance up at Middlesbrough Town Hall to check the time this month: every clock face on the building is missing its hands.
It’s not a theft, and nobody’s swapped the tower for a digital display — the four pairs of hands have simply come down for repair and restoration. Clock specialists Smith of Derby now have them in their workshop, having first removed the glass from each clock face before lifting the hands out from inside the tower.
New copper and brass replicas will go up on the west-facing side overlooking Albert Road. The original hands on the other three faces are being kept, and will instead go through repair and restoration work as required. The Town Hall clock last had work like this done back in the mid-1990s.
Photographer Simon Hill is capturing the whole project on camera, with the images set to appear in his upcoming book The North Revisited, published by Image & Reality Press in October. The clock itself should have its hands back in place by September.
Time to combine expertise
Dean Allen, Works Manager at Smith of Derby, said: “We are delighted to undertake the restoration of the clock at Middlesbrough Town Hall. It is a fantastic opportunity to combine our specialist clockmaking and rope-access expertise to carefully restore this historic timepiece and ensure it can continue to operate for many years to come.”
Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke said: “The Town Hall clock is one of the iconic features of the Middlesbrough skyline, and it’s vital we keep it in working condition. This repair work will ensure the town centre has a reliable timepiece for all to see for future generations.”
