Waterford clock known by locals as a timekeeping 'embarrassment' set for €55k makeover

The timepiece has been in a state of disrepair for years, but the €55,000 e-tender will see works put in place to 'recondition and renew the clock dials, glass, and moving parts'

Waterford’s Clock Tower Plaza has been remodelled as the gateway to a new bridge linking the city centre with a transport hub across the River Suir. The project was recently shortlisted for a national civic development award. Picture: Joe Evans

Waterford locals have expressed hopes that new plans for remedial works on the city’s clock tower will restore a monument that many have come to deride as “an embarrassment” and a blemish on the city.

The clock tower, which sits on Meagher’s Quay across from the historic Granville Hotel, has sat in a state of disrepair for years. The four clocks on each column of the tower have remained paralysed for years, while the exterior has become deeply stained by the outside elements.

A new €55,000 e-tender set out by the local authority will see works put in place to “recondition and renew the clock dials, glass, and moving parts".

Liam Cusack, co-owner of the Granville Hotel, said that while he hears “the occasional complaint” about the clock tower, many locals have become conditioned to the rundown structure.

“It needs to be cleaned down, but it's embarrassing having it the way it is,” Mr Cusack told the Irish Examiner. “But I suppose we become attuned to it, and a lot of the time we don't take any notice.” 

His wife and hotel co-owner Ann said it will be “wonderful” when the work on the structure is eventually completed and will bring new light to Waterford.

For many, it’s difficult to pinpoint a moment when the clocks were actually running on time. “I’m here 40 years odd; I can't recollect it. Maybe it was initially, but I don't think so,” Mr Cusack said.

Local Fianna Fáil councillor Adam Wyse guessed that the arms stopped turning around 2015 or 2016, but suggested it may have been even longer.

The wider plaza around the clock tower has been remodelled as the gateway to a new bridge linking the city centre with a transport hub across the River Suir. The project was recently shortlisted for a national civic development award.

“To have that (the clock tower) sitting in the centre, it doesn't bode well,” Mr Wyse told the Irish Examiner.

Obviously, people think if we can let something like (the Clock Tower) go to that sort of ruin, then what's the point of awarding us prizes for a South Plaza if we don't take care of the historical artifacts that are there at the moment. 

Mr Wyse said long-overdue repairs to the structure had been slowed down by bureaucracy and red tape.

The Gothic-style tower was built around the 1860s by architect Charles Tarrant. The tower stands around 12 metres high and features four small fountain basins beneath each clock head.

Waterford City and County Council has said remedial works are expected to take over four months to complete.

Local historian Dermot Power expressed dismay at the long delay for the repair work, and said the clock tower was part of a longer legacy of urban dereliction in Waterford.

“There's so many things that have been let go and dumped… The thing about the city is that the last thing we think of really is our history,” he said.