Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower

For the clock in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, see Chamberlain Clock.

Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower
Map
Record height
Tallest in Birmingham from 1908 to 1965[I]
Preceded bySt Martin in the Bull Ring
Surpassed byBT Tower
General information
TypeCampanile
LocationUniversity of Birmingham
Town or cityBirmingham
CountryEngland
Coordinates52°27′00″N 1°55′51″W / 52.4499°N 1.9307°W / 52.4499; -1.9307
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameChamberlain Tower, University of Birmingham
Designated8 July 1982
Reference no.1210306
Construction started1900
Completed1908

The Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower, or colloquially Old Joe, is a clock tower and campanile located in Chancellor's court at the University of Birmingham, in the suburb of Edgbaston. It is the tallest free-standing clock tower in the world,[1] although its actual height is the subject of some confusion. The university lists it variously as 110 metres (361 ft),[2] 99 metres (325 ft),[3] and 100 metres (328 ft)[4] tall, the last of which is supported by other sources.[5][6] In a lecture in 1945, Mr C. G. Burton, secretary of the University, stated that "the tower stands 329 ft [100 m] high, the clock dials measure 17 ft [5.2 m] in diameter, the length of the clock hands are 10 and 6 ft [3.0 and 1.8 m], and the bell weighs 5 long tons [5.1 tonnes]".[7]

The tower was built to commemorate Joseph Chamberlain, the first Chancellor of the University (with the commemoration being carved into the stone at the tower's base), although one of the original suggested names for the clock tower was the "Poynting Tower", after one of the earliest professors at the University, Professor John Henry Poynting.

A prominent landmark in Birmingham, the grade II* listed[8] tower can be seen for miles around the campus, and has become synonymous with the University itself.

  1. ^ "Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower Also known as Old Joe". Skyscrapher News.
  2. ^ "Campus tour booklet" (PDF). University of Birmingham. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  3. ^ "Heritage trail: Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower, completed 1909". University of Birmingham. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
  4. ^ "Old Joe - University of Birmingham". www.birmingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference CTBUH was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Britain's tallest 100 buildings by height". Skyscraper News. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  7. ^ "The Ivory Tower". Birmingham Mail. Birmingham. 10 November 1945. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  8. ^ Historic England. "Chamberlain Tower (1210306)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 October 2021.