A chiming clock vanished from Derby’s Spot in 2014. Investigation reveals its fate: damaged and possibly recycled.
Mr. Tuckwell remembered the clock. It stood before the toilets were filled and before the ram statue and giant rings appeared. The clock was bought from Belgium and chimed a different tune each hour. One day, it vanished, and his questions about the clock went unanswered.
Records show the clock arrived in 1993. It was removed from The Spot in 2014 with a £1.2 million renovation. The project created a paved seating area, and the toilets also disappeared at this time.
A resident tried to save the toilets and clock in 2014. He wanted to list them with English Heritage, but experts said they lacked “architectural merit.” The 1990s additions hurt the chances of listing. Large pillars and the clock counted against the toilets.
English Heritage carefully considered the request. They felt the clock and toilets lacked the needed historic value. The Minister agreed they didn’t merit protection.
The demolition of the toilets was delayed slightly. Though the council said they would find a new home for the clock, they later stated damage made it irreparable. The council didn’t say who caused the damage, only that it happened during the removal process.
A pub landlord, Steve Kirk, was angry. He felt they should have kept the clock on The Spot and that they could have found room for it.
Derby City Council commissioned the clock in 1993. Smith of Derby made it for £6,800. Work began in 2014, and they removed the clock. The council said a contractor held it in a secure location.
The council said the clock was damaged during removal. They moved it to the Stores Road depot, hoping to reuse or relocate it. But inspection showed it was beyond repair, and the modern electronic mechanism factored into this decision.
After learning the clock couldn’t move, a reader was upset. They missed the “Camberwick Green type clock” and felt its chimes were healing. The sounds drew people together, and the reader felt removing it was a mistake and found the slabs ugly.
Derbyshire Live asked the council what happened next. The council responded, “We believe it was recycled.”