Leicester Clock Tower

The Clock Tower was built in 1868 and was designed by Professor Joseph Goddard an architect who was based in Leicester and was reknowned for building designs that were a major part of the Gothic revival.

Professor Joseph Goddard used Ketton stone, a stone that is Jurassic oolitic limestone and found in a small village bearing the same name in Rutland.

The money to build the clock tower came from public subscription, essentially this means the people of Leicester funded the building between them.

Upon being built the clock Tower served as a traffic island in the centre of the city at the very busy Eastgates/Haymarket junction.

For those who do not know the Leicester clock tower has the statues of four men, one on each corner.

The statues are of four men who are known as the sons of Leicester. The four men depicted are William Wyggeston (spelt Wigston on the clock tower), Simon De Montfort, Gabriel Newton and Thomas White.

Below each statue there is a date, these dates are commonly thought to be the birth dates of the men but are actually the dates in which they made a huge contribution to the city of Leicester.

Simon de Montfort was the 6th Earl of Leicester. As his name shows he was not actually born in Leicester, or in England for that matter.

Simon de Montfort was actually the son of a French baron who was the 5th Earl of Leicester and had the same name.

What Simon de Montfort did, not only for Leicester but for the world in general, was create Britains first parliament. Simon de Montfort sent for two elected representatives from each count and borough and held the first parliament in Leicester.

Gabriel Newton was a Leicester born wool comber who was married three times. Each wife he married was of considerable wealth which bought Gabriel Newton in to wealth himself.

At the age of 49 Gabriel Newton became the Mayor of Leicester.

Upon his death Gabriel Newton had no heir thus left his fortune to the city where his money was used to create a charity school at the old St. Mary de Castro church.

Sir Thomas White was born in Reading and did much for the people of many a city in England.

Sir Thomas White is most notable in Leicester for establshing the Sir Thomas White Loan Charity in 1542 which gives interest free loans to those who do not have the money but aspire to build a business in Leicester.

Nearly 500 years on the Sir Thomas White Loan Charity still gives out loans to the people of Leicester.

William Wyggeston (also spelt William Wigston) was a Leicester Mayor and wool merchant who became so rich that he paid 22% of all the tax levied to the King from Leicester in the early 1500's.

William Wyggeston is most notable for creating an early hospital in Leicester called Wyggeston's Hospital.

Upon his death William Wyggestons brother used some of Williams fortune to build a grammar school. Although this school no longer exists it did give its name to the now Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College.

The clock tower is steeped in history yet is still a main talking point in the city of Leicester today.

Many of the people today may not know why the clock tower exists or when it was built but they still congregate around this building on a daily basis.

I hope the Leicester clock tower is still around in another hundred years or more acting as a beacon for people to meet and talk.