Tempus fugit!
“Tick, Tick, Tick.
This is the sound of your life running out.”
― Anonymous
A wee post about Swindon’s Jubilee clock. Moved from its original town centre home, it now resides outside Swindon’s railway station where the big beady eye of Swindon’s jubilee clock has watched over things since 2012.
Tick, tock, tick, tock
Designed by artist Edwin Wright and made by the Cumbrian clock company, the clock could play tunes and even announcements. It played Christmas music, including Silent Night, and Valentine’s Day love songs like Dream a Little Dream. Then GWR Radio DJ Jez Clark was the voice of the clock’s shopper announcements.
It was much derided for never working well – which is not unreasonable but I always liked it. More to the point I liked it in that position far more than than the water feature that superseded it. While it sits well in its new home on the railway station forecourt I did think it look good on the crossroads of Swindon’s pedestrianised centre – it allowed you to look in all four directions easily whereas the water-feature sort of ‘clutters’ it up. I don’t dislike the thing per se – just not there. But hey, that’s only my opinion…
According to the font of Swindon knowledge, Duncan & Mandy whose website has more fab images, the original name for this eyeball clock was the Millennium Clock. But, as the commission was to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee, the name got changed.
How long a minute is, depends on which side of the bathroom door you’re on.
Zall’s Second Law
On the topic of clocks as we are, then this post about long-standing Old Town business, Deacon’s. For in their shop stands the Regulator Clock made by the Deacon’s business back in 1865. For more on that read the blog below.
