Mono Monday: Looking Up - Goldsmiths' Clock

I was spoilt for choice today as I wandered round Newcastle looking for a suitable blip. I eventually settled on this one. The clock adorns the Northern Goldsmiths building in the centre of town. I've come across a rather nice story about it:

The Lord Mayor of Newcastle unveiled the clock on 31st July 1935 accompanied by staff from the Northern Goldsmiths Company. 'It is appropriate that this magnificent clock should be dedicated to Progress,' stated an advertisement in a local newspaper. 'It is a symbol of the progress of the Northern Goldsmiths Company.' Particular attention was drawn to the electrical, rather than clockwork, movement. Acting as an effective advertisement for the row of jewellers below, the extent to which this figure has entered local consciousness is demonstrated by the publication of a children's Christmas story in 1998. This tells how the 'golden fairy' wakes on New Year's Eve and allows various statues around town an hour to come alive and cause havoc, before they return to sleep for another year.

The clock has recently undergone a full restoration; the report from the restorers is interesting:  "After nine hectic weeks, around 2500 sheets of twenty-three and a half carat english double thickness gold leaf, well over 300 man hours, new movements and lighting, and a few surprises along the way, the finishing line was crossed. Talking of surprises, the lady who stands atop the clock was our first surprise, at 4’ 6” tall we assumed she might be a lightweight. She actually turned out to be a lady of substance, or rather solid bronze."

I should point out that I am not in the habit of taking photos of naked ladies, especially not from this angle!


Many thanks to Trisharooni for hosting MM this month.