Famous water clock removed for major revamp

15 hours ago

David PittamNottingham

Pete Dexter is keeping the unusual clock going as a project after retiring as an engineer

BBC Man in green working on clock. — Pete Dexter is keeping the unusual clock going as a project after retiring as an engineer

A famous shopping centre water clock has been removed for a full overhaul by the man who volunteers his time to maintain it.

The 23ft (7m) Emett Clock, in Nottingham's Victoria Centre, was first installed in 1973, and has become a well-known and much-loved feature in the city.

It is being broken down into thousands of parts to allow Pete Dexter to check it over and make repairs, and is expected to be gone for about six months.

Pete, a retired engineer who has maintained the clock for more than a decade, said it would be "better and brighter" when it returned.

"I just want to see this in a state where it'll last for many more years, long after I'm gone," he said.

"When my children and grandchildren are grown up I want them to be able to come and enjoy it.

The clock has been a feature of the Victoria Centre and a meeting point for decades

Victoria Centre The clock. — The clock has been a feature of the Victoria Centre and a meeting point for decades

The Aqua Horological Tintinnabulator, as it is officially named, opens up and moves every 15 minutes and was designed by the eccentric Englishman Rowland Emett.

The sculptor and cartoonist also created contraptions for the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Generations of people have dropped money into a pool of water at the bottom, which has raised more than £300,000 for charity over the years.

Pete, who became interested in the structure after visiting it with his granddaughter in 2011, has restored it before and said there were many intricate parts.

The 69-year-old's latest renovation of the clock will involve carefully taking apart hundreds of pieces, some of which are doorknobs and bike parts, and putting them back exactly the same way again.

For example, there are 19 butterflies – each one unique – which have to be put back in the right place or their different weights will begin to damage the mechanism.

Pete, who will be working from a workshop set up in the centre, admitted the clock was "eccentric" but said he loved the interplay of art and engineering.

He added: "When I retired from working I wanted something to maintain my skills and this was ideal.

"Things are looking a bit drab on it. A bit of love and attention is what it needs and that's what I can give it.

"I've itemised every task that needs doing… It's quite modular, I'll take it apart from the top downwards and inspect every part to see if anything needs replacing or repairing.

"I want to get stuck in."

Nigel Wheatley, the centre director, said Pete was the best man for the job

Man stands in front of clock — Nigel Wheatley, the centre director, said Pete was the best man for the job

The clock, which used to stand in the shopping centre's main foyer, was dismantled in 2014 and taken to Birmingham to be completely restored before it was returned 18 months later.

It has been going non-stop since then.

The Victoria Centre director Nigel Wheatley said this was about making sure it stayed working smoothly, and that no-one knew how to do that better than Pete.

"With anything like this, you have to spend time eventually in refurbishing it, cleaning it and getting it better for the future," he said.

"It's really important because it's part of people's history."

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