Clock tower

A clock tower is a tower built with one or more (often four) easily-seen clock faces.The clock tower is usually part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall, but many clock towers are free-standing.

Related Topics:
Tower - Clock - Town hall

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The mechanism inside the tower is known as a turret clock. It often marks the hour (and sometimes segments of an hour) by sounding large bells or chimes, sometimes playing simple musical phrases or tunes.

Related Topics:
Turret clock - Bell - Chime

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Although clock towers are today mostly admired for their aesthetics, they once served an important purpose. Before the middle of the twentieth century, most people did not have watches; clock towers were therefore placed near the centers of towns and were often the tallest structures there.

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Three of the best-known clock towers are the clock tower which houses Big Ben (often itself colloquially referred to as Big Ben) of the Palace of Westminster in London, the Rajabai Tower in Mumbai, and the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin.

Related Topics:
Big Ben - Palace of Westminster - London - Rajabai Tower - Mumbai - Spasskaya Tower - Moscow Kremlin

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The Clock Tower in Leicester is a major landmark in the city.

Related Topics:
Clock Tower - Leicester

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