Survey Data
Reg No
50020524
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Artistic, Technical
Original Use
Clock
In Use As
Clock
Date
1890 - 1910
Coordinates
316276, 234255
Date Recorded
21/04/2015
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Clock attached to recent column, manufactured c.1900, and now sited next to south elevation of Irish Times offices. Metal drum clock with illuminated glass faces having Roman numerals, beneath metal sign with ‘THE IRISH TIMES’ in stained glass, attached by parallel cast-iron foliated brackets with spear finials, having wrought-iron bar braces to top. Located at junction of Townsend Street and Tara Street.
Appraisal
The Irish Times clock was erected over the main entrance to 31 Westmoreland Street shortly after the paper moved its main office that address in 1895. When the Irish Times main office moved to D’Olier Street in the 1970s, the clock was re-erected to the facade of 12 D’Olier Street. The clock was moved again in 2008, this time to a purpose-built column in front of the newly-built Irish Times office building. The clock is one meter in diameter, and is supported on decorated brackets projecting from the face of the column. Its illuminated faces, decorated brackets and stained glasswork attest to the skill and artisanship involved in the manufacture of glass and ironwork at the turn of the century, while the mechanism of the clock itself is of technical interest. On its establishment at the current site, it was automated, no longer having to be set twice yearly. The attached sign provides contextual interest to this iconic feature, which forms an unusual focal point on the streetscape.