Caledonian Park Clock Tower, Victorian clock tower in Islington, England
The Caledonian Park Clock Tower is a Victorian clock tower in Islington built from Portland stone with five levels and Italianate design. Four large clock faces sit at the top of the structure, visible from various points across the neighborhood.
The tower was completed in 1855 as the center of the Metropolitan Cattle Market, which moved livestock trading away from the overcrowded Smithfield location. This shift represented a major change in how London organized its busiest industries.
The tower marks a moment when London moved its busiest market activities away from the old city center to newer locations. It shows how the Victorians reshaped trade and commerce across different neighborhoods.
The tower is accessible from Caledonian Park where you can view it from various angles to appreciate its architecture and clock faces. Summer guided tours occasionally allow visitors to climb the 178 steps to the observation level for views across London.
The clock mechanism requires weekly manual winding to keep all four faces running accurately, a practice that continues today. Few visitors realize the ongoing effort needed to maintain this level of precision in the historic tower.
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