VENTNOR’S 148-year-old town centre clock above ‘Inspirations’ on the corner of Church Street and Pier Street has been given a new lease of life.
The clock stopped working back in 1984, and left with a single hand marking time at 12 o’clock.
The worn out mechanism has been replaced with a ‘state of the art’ electronic controller linked to GPS satellite to maintain accuracy, a new dial face and set of hands, with LED back lighting around the bezel for night time illumination, in keeping with the desires of the original installer William Luce Hosking.
The work was privately funded and organised by
Ventnor Community Part- nership who commissioned world renowned time manag- ement specialists, H.S. Walsh & Sons of Beckenham Kent to undertake the made-to-measure replacement.
The clock was originally installed by William Luce Hosking in July 1862; he ran a business as watchmaker in Ventnor from 1853 in the shop below the clock. In August 1862 the IW Observer reported that “our patriotic fellow townsman has shown himself worthy of his occupation and profession, as during the last week he has mounted a large transparent clock over his shop by which the hour may be read day or night.”
In 1872 Mr Hosking wrote: “The clock over my shop was placed there with the earnest wish that it might be benefit to the community”, he further wrote “That in the event of my leaving Ventnor and vacating the premises at any time, the clock is to remain, where I trust it will usefully occupy its niche, and measure all the valuable moments as they flit away, and by its cheering light on dark and stormy nights, illumine the surrounding gloom for many, many long years to come.
Ventnor Community Partnership wishes to thank the property owners for agreeing to the replacement, Marie-Anne of Inspirations for bearing with us during the installation work above her shop door, the flat tenant, Careless & Kemp Solicitors for their free of charge legal work, Ventnor Historic Society for the clocks’ history and to IOW Cllr Susan Scocia (Ventnor West), Chairperson of Ventnor Community Partnership for standing out in the rain all day marshalling along with Rob Chuter, Chairperson of Community Arts and Culture IW, who also undertook the 14-month process of negotiations and legal matters.
