Beatties clock left without hands

The landmark clock that has stood outside Beatties in Wolverhampton for years was without all of its hands today – as part of work that will see it chime once again.

Eagle-eyed visitors to the city centre have noticed the four-faced clock in Victoria Street is looking bare.

Wolverhampton City Council said the clock, which was installed in 1993, had become unreliable and its chimes had stopped.

The hands were removed so specialist restoration workers could access the mechanism inside.

The device is now being restored and upgraded in Derby. The clock will be out of action for the next few weeks.

City council spokesman Tim Clark said the maintenance and upkeep of the clock fell to the local authority.

"The clock needs a new mechanism fitting inside it," he said.

"The clock is outside and it takes a bit of a battering from the elements.

"The chimes were not working and the clock was not performing very well.

"It needs a new mechanism put in place and that is being created by a specialist contractor in Derby. The hands have gone, they needed to come off so they could access the mechanism inside.

"We are looking forward to seeing it back up and running in a few weeks' time," he added.

The unique four-faced clock stands at the top of Victoria Street, at its junction with Darlington Street and Queen Square.

It contains a plaque that reads: "The funds for this clock were provided by James Beatties PLC to mark the special relationship between the town, the people and the company dating back to the establishment of Beatties in 1877."