Clock Tower

The Clock Tower is a notable structure built in 1863 and relocated to its current site in 1928. Designed by Joseph Potter Jnr, it is constructed of ashlar stone and features a swept slate roof. The tower is four stages high with a pyramidal roof and is designed in the Norman style.

The lowest stage includes a cornice with a zig-zag pattern and weathering above it. The east face features a round-headed entrance with a zig-zag arch and an enriched tympanum, along with a door that has enriched strap hinges. Above the entrance, a plaque details the history of the Crucifix conduit, which existed from 1201 to 1863. To the south, there is a bronze plaque commemorating the gift of the Friary estate to the City Council, and to the west, another plaque notes the tower's removal from its original site. The north face has a quatrefoil panel that marks the foundation of the conduit, flanked by round-headed niches that once held drinking fountains—one with a scalloped bowl and the other shallower, now missing its bowl. Above these niches are two round-headed lights with grilles.

The second stage features a cornice with weathering, and on three faces, there are 3-light blind windows with colonnettes and enriched arches, along with glazed slits. Above these, there is a shorter 5-light window with a zig-zag sill band and two slits, while the west face has three single-chamfered lights. The third stage is marked by round clock faces on each side. The top stage includes nook shafts and a corbel table, with bell openings of four lights and louvres on each face, topped with a finial.

Originally built at the corner of The Friary and Bird Street, the Clock Tower was constructed on the site of the Crucifix Conduit, established around 1201 by the Guild of SS Mary and John the Baptist. The assets of this guild were transferred in 1545 to the Conduits Lands Trust, which built the tower over the now-redundant conduit. The tower was dismantled and rebuilt at its current location when The Friary was developed. The Clock Tower serves as a significant landmark in the city.