Victoria Centre Emett Clock

About

The Victoria Centre clock has stood proud in the shopping centre since it was created by Rowland Emett in 1973, and is recognised by locals as a meeting place. The 23ft clock has become an iconic attraction of Nottingham, and in 2013 a protest was held to oppose the potential move of the famous clock from the shopping centre.

The water powered clock has the official name, The Aqua Horological Tintinnabulator, but is also referred to as the Emett Clock or the Victoria Centre Clock. Sculptor Rowland Emett, (22 October 1906 – 13 November 1990) was a cartoonist, artist, inventor and builder of mechanical and wacky inventions. His most famous work has to be the car and inventions which appeared in the 1968 film, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Unfortunately, there is little of his work on permanent display in the UK, with the Emett clock in the Victoria Shopping Centre and another clock in Basildon, Essex, being the exception. Most of his work can be viewed at exhibitions in the US and Canada.

After a year away for refurbishment, the clock returned to Victoria Centre in 2015 and now sits proudly on the upper mall at the rear of the shopping centre.