Former Pier Head Clock - Cardiff, Capital of Wales. - Town Clocks on Waymarking.com

The Pier Head clock now stands in a glass case, surrounded by stainless steel seating is in the shape of a question mark, with raised portions for seating, and engraved steel sheets set in the pavement. The engravings tell the story about the maratime history of Cardiff, and the fact that ships used to sail from this very spot.

"The historic Pierhead clock that stood in Cardiff docks for nearly 80 years was unveiled on Tuesday November 8th, 2011, after being restored to its former glory by world renowned clockmakers, Smith of Derby. A special parade was held to mark the unveiling of the Pierhead Clock, which returned to Cardiff after an absence of nearly 40 years, including a Royal British Legion marching band.

The restoration of the 114-year-old clock was a special moment for the firm’s engineers as the original was made by Potts of Leeds, which is owned by Smith of Derby, when installed in the Welsh capital’s Pierhead building in 1897.

It was auctioned off by British Rail in 1973 and then sold on to an American collector, Alan Heldman, three years later. In 2004 he decided that the mechanism should be returned from Alabama to Cardiff, and having been restored, its unveiling will mark the completion of major city centre improvements in Cardiff.

Eric Beardow, Senior Clockmaker at Smith of Derby, said the restoration work included replacing lost parts and making a completely new strike second wheel, part of the gear structure which allows the bell to be struck, which engineers were able to do using original Potts parts. The clock was then repainted in traditional Potts livery."

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Status: Working Display: Mounted Year built: 01/01/1897 Web link to additional info: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/17/2017 FamilieFrohne visited it 05/18/2013 Superted visited it 05/08/2012 veritas vita visited it

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