Cleethorpes Clocks On
16 Sep 2005
Britain’s last remaining railway timber clock tower is being comprehensively refurbished.
“It’s a popular local landmark and a listed building,” says Kevin Luke of Colt Industrial Services, which is carrying out the work for Network Rail. The clock tower has stood proudly above the station for over 120 years. Much of the timber is now worn and needs replacing.
Says Kevin, ‘We will be stripping out the rotten timbers, and the old balcony will come off and be refurbished. We use hard word; timber taken from the Iroko tree.”
Colt, a Hull-based company, is normally to be found at work repairing station canopies and signal boxes. “We have restored over 150 signal boxes for the railway,” says Kevin. The work is expected to take eight weeks. The clock reputedly keeps good time. Locals are pleased that the Grade One listed clock tower has survived.
Pictures in the café next door show a big crowd on the beach at Cleethorpes in 1884 with the clock tower clearly visible in the background.