Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower, Victorian clock tower and memorial monument in central Leicester, England.
The Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower is an octagonal stone tower in central Leicester, England, standing at the point where five streets meet and topped with a working clock. The base is made of Portland stone and carries four statues, one positioned at each of the cardinal points around the structure.
The tower was built in 1868 to replace an Assembly Room that dated from the mid-18th century and the hay market that had long occupied this part of the city center. Its arrival changed this corner of Leicester from a trading and gathering spot into a formal public monument.
The four statues at the base show Simon de Montfort, William Wyggeston, Thomas White, and Gabriel Newton, each tied to a different chapter of Leicester's past. Walking around the tower, visitors can read the inscriptions at the foot of each figure and see how the city chose to remember them.
The tower stands at one of the busiest crossings in Leicester city center, making it easy to find on foot from most nearby streets. It is worth walking all the way around to see each statue and read the inscriptions, which face outward in different directions.
Before construction could begin in the 1860s, workers had to make major changes to the underground infrastructure because two large sewers crossed directly beneath the chosen site. This hidden complication shaped the foundations of the tower in ways that are not visible from the street.
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