Whitehead Clock Tower – Bury, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 35.351 W 002° 18.050
30U E 546279 N 5938042
This magnificent clock tower and garden was donated to the town of Bury by Henry Whitehead in memory of his recently deceased brother, Walter Whitehead.
Waymark Code: WMCHKH
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/09/2011
Views: 4
The tower stands on granite steps, is made of richly carved Portland Stone and stands 24.42 metres tall.
It is positioned just outside the town centre, on the main road out of Bury towards Manchester.
Although built in 1914, the architects Maxwell and Tuke designed it in ‘Old English style of the late Tudor period (end of the 16th Century). The top of the tower is designed to look like a belfry, but in fact contains no bells.
Walter Whitehead had been an eminent surgeon and had invented Whitehead’s Varnish, an antiseptic liquid used after skin graft surgery, mouth surgery and nasal packing.
In recognition of the fact that time always catches up with you there are few references to time on the memorial including a sculpture which is supposed to represent Time but looks more like Bacchus to me.
The text of the plaque on the tower is as follows.
COUNTY BOROUGH OF BURY
THIS CLOCK TOWER
WITH THE LAND ADJOINING
WAS PRESENTED TO THE TOWN
BY
HENRY WHITEHEAD,
OF HASLEM HEY
IN MEMORY OF HIS BROTHER
WALTER WHITEHEAD
AN EMINENT SURGEON AND A NATIVE OF BURY
JUNE 27TH 1914
The two time related quotes are as follows
TIME
STEALS AWAY
TIME
AND TIDE
WAIT FOR
NO MAN
The tower became a grade II listed building on 29th January 1985, English Heritage list entry number 1067232