The Chamberlain Clock is an Edwardian,

cast-iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

, clock tower in the Jewellery Quarter of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, England. It was erected in 1903 to mark

Joseph Chamberlain Joseph Chamberlain (8 July 1836 – 2 July 1914) was a British statesman who was first a radical Liberal Party (UK), Liberal, then a Liberal Unionist after opposing home rule for Ireland, and eventually was a leading New Imperialism, imperial ...

's tour of South Africa between 26 December 1902 and 25 February 1903, after the end of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

. The clock was unveiled during Chamberlain's lifetime, in January 1904 by Mary Crowninshield Endicott, Joseph Chamberlain's third wife. Standing at the junction of Vyse and Frederick Streets with Warstone Lane, it is now a local landmark and symbol of the Quarter. Chamberlain had been a resident on Frederick Street and had also helped jewellers through his campaign work to abolish Plate Duties – a tax affecting jewellery tradesmen of the time. The timepiece was originally powered by a clockwork winding handle. It was later adapted to electricity but fell into disrepair and lost its chime. It was fully restored in 1989. On the 22 August 2020, the Chamberlain Clock was being removed for restoration work by Smith of Derby. It was restored to its site on 20 March 2021.

References

{{Coord, 52.487009, -1.912578, region:GB-BIR_type:landmark, display=title Memorials to Joseph Chamberlain Clock towers in the United Kingdom Buildings and structures in Birmingham, West Midlands Cast-iron architecture in the United Kingdom Towers completed in 1903 20th-century architecture in the United Kingdom Individual clocks in England