Aylesbury Clock Tower

Summary

A clock tower with two drinking fountains. Built from 1876 to 1877 to designs by the architect David Brandon in a Gothic Revival style.

Reasons for Designation

The clock tower with two drinking fountains, built from 1876 to 1877, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* the clock tower is a finely-detailed and well-executed example of the Gothic Revival style by the architect David Brandon with good quality stone carvings, including ornate niches enriched with flora and fauna, engaged Corinthian columns and acanthus leaf decoration.

Group value:

* for the historic and functional relationship with the Town Hall, the former County Constabulary Headquarters and the Judge’s Lodgings (NHLE 1117935, Grade II*) as well as the Aylesbury War Memorial (NHLE 1444658, Grade II), the Statue of Lord Chesham (NHLE 1319202, Grade II) and two Flanking Lion Statues (NHLE 1160188, Grade II).

History

The clock tower is located in the centre of Aylesbury’s Market Square. It was built on the site of the former Market House, demolished in 1865. Market House had included a clock, donated by Mr Acton Tindal, Lord of the Aylesbury manors. In 1875, it was agreed by the town that a new clock was required and that the ideal location was the centre of Market Square. A new tower, incorporating the original clock, could provide crucial timekeeping as well as integrating two drinking fountains below which could convey water to troughs for cattle, sheep and dogs.

The clock tower was designed by the architect David Brandon (1813-1897) who provided his services ‘free of expense’ (Bucks Herald, 1875, 5). He was already well known to the town as in 1865, in Aylesbury’s Market Square, he had designed the former County Constabulary Headquarters and Town Hall and Corn Exchange (both of which mostly burnt down in 1962) as additions to the C18 County Hall and the Judge’s Lodgings of 1850 by E B Lamb (Grade II*-listed). In addition to work in Buckinghamshire, Brandon designed a number of notable country houses including Hemsted House, Kent, 1859-1862, and Bayham Abbey, Kent, 1870-1872 (both Grade II-listed).

Built from 1876 to 1877, the clock tower’s Gothic Revival style was chosen to make a ‘distinct contrast’ to the county buildings behind (Bucks Advertiser, 1876, 4). It was paid for by public subscription costing about £882 with donations from the Market Company, the local Member of Parliament, members of the Rothschild family, Mr and Mrs Tindal and many townspeople. Mrs Henrietta Tindal laid the foundation stone for the clock tower on 11 July 1876. Cooper and Cowles completed the building work, Earp and Co worked on the stone carvings and Field and Son repaired the two original dials and provided two new dials to the clock.

The clock tower first appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1879 (1:2500). Historic images evidence the replacement of the weathercock which originally included a swan representing the county of Buckinghamshire and the loss of the finials to the roof. Today (2025), the two drinking fountains are not in use.

Details

A clock tower with two drinking fountains. Built from 1876 to 1877 to designs by the architect David Brandon in a Gothic Revival style.

MATERIALS: a brick core faced in squared and coursed limestone rubble with Bath stone ashlar dressings.

PLAN: the clock tower has a square footprint. A door on the south-east side leads to an internal void with a ladder providing access to the clock mechanism and spire.

EXTERIOR: the clock tower is four sided, with elevations facing south-east, south-west and north-west and north-east. Built on a slight slope, it stands on a base of three to four steps depending on orientation; the two upper steps having rectangular extensions to the centre of the north-east and south-west sides. It stands approximately 20m high.

The clock tower has three stages. The lower stage stands on a plinth and has carved stonework reliefs set in ornate niches beneath a deep tapered cornice band. There are slender engaged Corinthian columns to each corner and supporting the two-centred arched doorway. The columns are repeated on the middle and upper stages. To the south-east side, is a ledged and battened door with two decorative wrought-iron strap hinges. To the south-west side, the carved stonework includes frogs and flora with a drinking fountain below. An offset metal plaque is inscribed: JULY 1976 / THIS TROUGH WAS PLACED / HERE TO COMMEMORATE / THE CENTENARY OF THE / CLOCK TOWER. To the north-west side, the carved stonework includes sheafs of wheat and grape vines. A stone plaque to the plinth is inscribed: This Foundation Stone for the Aylesbury / Clock Tower was laid the eleventh day of / July 1876, by Mrs. Acton [Henrietta] Tindal. To the north-east side, the carved stonework includes a bird and bullrushes with a drinking fountain below. A stone plaque at the base of the steps is inscribed: THIS STONE COMMEMORATES THE VISIT OF / HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN / TO THE / AYLESBURY VALE IN BLOOM FESTIVAL / FRIDAY 10 MAY 2002 / THE QUEEN’S GOLDEN JUBILEE.

The middle stage includes a trefoil-headed lancet window with diamond-leaded lights to each side apart from the north-west side where the date stone of 1876 is included. The top of the middle stage is delineated by a stringcourse decorated with acanthus leaves.

The upper stage includes a gabled clock face to each side. Additionally, on the north-west and south-east sides there are paired trefoil-headed lancet windows set within moulded two-centred arches beneath the clock. Decoration includes acanthus leaves within each gable and a gargoyle to each corner resting on the capitals. The spire is composed of six stone lucarnes containing a moulded two-centred arch rising from engaged Corinthian columns that separate trefoil-headed lancets each with quatrefoil tracery. A weathercock caps the stone spire.

INTERIOR: a modern steel ladder to the south-west side provides access to the clock mechanism and spire accessed via a hatch.

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Williamson, E, The Buildings of England: Buckinghamshire (2003), 105, 162

Other
Ordnance Survey map of Buckinghamshire, 1879 (1:2500)
Historic image from Historic England archive, ref: HT07776. Available online at: https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/photos/item/HT07776
Historic image from Historic England archive, ref: CC74/00161. Available online at: https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/photos/item/CC74/00161
Historic image from Historic England archive, ref: HT01039. Available online at: https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/photos/item/HT01039
Buckinghamshire HER Record, Clock Tower, HER number: 1413100000. Available online at: https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MBC26504&resourceID=1024
Bucks Herald, Proposed Re-erection of the Aylesbury Town Clock, 30 October 1875, 5
Bucks Herald, The New Clock Tower, 29 December 1877, 7
The Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News, Description of the Proposed Clock Tower, 3 June 1876, 4

End of official list entry