The Market Cross Clock - Chichester, Sussex, United Kingdom.
N 50° 50.192 W 000° 46.753
30U E 656370 N 5633997
Chichester's Market Cross has displayed a four faced clock since 1501. the clock faces were square until 1746. The Market Cross has become a recognised image of the City of Chichester, West Sussex, Great Britain.
Waymark Code: WMVA2H
Location: Southern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/21/2017
Views: 1
No visit to Chichester would be complete without a exploring the Octagonal Market Cross & Chichester Cathedral which are some of the few remaining medieval buildings in the center of Chichester, which now stands surrounded by modern shops, pubs, & buildings as found in any typical British high street.
The current clock is being renovated & updated, by Smiths of Derby, after being in positions since 1904. The previous clock was installed in 1746, & before that 1501.
The four faced clock (currently without hands, March 2017)
approximately 5 feet across, has a gold leaf, Roman numeral display, with train track minute dividers, on a black background, with a white central translucent background.
The bell tower atop the market cross now stands empty, the bell is on display in the nearby Novium Museum.
The Market Cross remains an important icon and part of the City of Chichester’s history and culture.
"Chichester's Market Cross was given to the city by Bishop Storey in 1501.
To some extent this gift was an act of generosity, providing a covered marketplace from which Chichester's traders could sell their wares. In part however the Bishop was playing politics with the city authorities who had sought greater control over trade in Chichester.
Until 1746 the clock on the cross was square. It was then replaced by four new clocks. How many thousands of Chichester shoppers have been told the time by looking up at the clock's massive black paddles over the quarter of a millennium since the clock was installed?
Until the pedestrianisation of Chichester city center the streets around the Cross used to be a busy highway with the main coastal road edging around the narrow gap between the Market Cross and the city centre shops.
Nowadays, apart from a few buses, the centre of Chichester is more or less traffic free." Text Source: (
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Address of Tower:
The Market Cross
South Street
Chichester, Sussex UK.