Aqua Horological Tintinnabulator, Water clock at Victoria Centre in Nottingham, United Kingdom
The Aqua Horological Tintinnabulator is a water-powered clock housed in the Victoria Centre shopping mall in Nottingham, England. It has four silver-white dials with gilded hands, and its mechanism drives rotating figures of animals such as butterflies and frogs.
An artist designed and built this water-powered clock in 1973 as a feat of mechanical engineering. After restoration work returned it to working order, it was moved to its current location in 2015.
Visitors have long made wishes by tossing coins into the water feature, creating a shared ritual that gave the installation a role as a social gathering space. This practice shaped how people experienced and remembered the place over decades.
The clock performs a mechanical display every quarter hour, so it is worth planning your visit around the timing. Standing in the central area of the mall gives you the clearest view of all the moving parts.
Among the scenes depicted on the clock, a squirrel rides a flying fish and a peacock sails in a small boat. The large central gear wheel, about 2 meters across, is decorated with spiderweb patterns that cover much of its surface.
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