Norwich clock back up and working again after malfunction

Norwich's timepiece failed on Wednesday July 23 but is back up and running again after the motor which drives its hands had failed, Norwich City Council has announced.

The clock's motor had to be removed for repair last week.

The authority also recently revealed how much it has spent on the device, which is part of the City Hall building, in the last five years.

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The clock at Norwich City Hall stopped last week (Image: Denise Bradley) The latest repairs are not included in the previous costs of £1,200 a year spent servicing the clock and £4,224 spent on repairing it since 2020.

On top of this, eight years ago it underwent a £200,000 restoration project, which was lambasted in January by a member of the public who called out its "low quality gilding" that had begun "peeling".

The clock dates back to 1938 but has had a number of faults in recent years.

In 2019, it was stopped for 12 days from May 30 to June 6 for repairs to its gears.

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The clock has malfunctioned several times in the last few years (Image: Archant) 2021 brought further issues when the clock malfunctioned multiple times.

Problems arose in October 2023 when the clocks changed causing it to only display midday or midnight.

The timekeeper also stopped for three months in 2017 to allow for repairs to City Hall's tower. 

A council spokesman said: “The clock on City Hall has been a much-loved part of Norwich’s skyline since 1938.

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The council revealed how much had been spent on the clock in the last five years (Image: Archant) "Understandably, with a mechanism of this age, occasional faults can happen."