Clock Tower, Herne Bay

The Clock Tower, Herne Bay (built 1837), is a Grade II listed landmark in Herne Bay, Kent, England. It is believed to be one of the earliest purpose-built, free-standing clock towers in the United Kingdom. It was funded by Mrs Ann Thwaytes, and now serves as a memorial to the fallen of the Second Boer War. The clock tower was designed by Edwin James Dangerfield, and was possibly inspired by a Royal Exchange Assurance lead firemark badge which bore a picture of the Royal Exchange tower. It was built with deep foundations of arches and vaults, and its core is of brick, with Portland stone cladding. Its height has been estimated to be 77 feet (23 m) tall, or 85 feet (26 m) including the weather vane. Its original turret clock mechanism has been replaced by a synchronous electric hour striking unit, but it still retains its 12 cwt bell.

Building data from Wikidata (CC0); heights normalised. Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).