A ticking cover will be flung over scaffolding surrounding the Eastgate Clock in Chester to show visitors what they are missing – as well as the time.
The second most photographed clock in Britain has been gradually encased in scaffolding over the past few weeks, leading to visitors posting disappointed reviews online and sparking mixed reactions as shoppers face disruption.
But the clock, regarded as the most recognised timepiece in Britain after Big Ben, will now be covered with a special sheet to hide the scaffolding complete with a ticking clock face so the people of Chester can tell the time.
It is not clear how much the wrap - printed with an image of the famous clock complete with a working clock mechanism - will cost but Cheshire West and Chester Council have said it is included in the £500,000 sum for the scheme to conserve the ancient City Walls.
Cheshire West and Chester Council say the plastic cover – which will include logos of Eastgate Street businesses, including Dinky Donuts, Clarks, the Grosvenor Hotel and Yankee Candles whose frontages have been affected by the work – is due to be draped over the scaffolding in the coming weeks.
It has not been used sooner as it couldn’t be put over the scaffolding until the construction of the casing had been finished, CWaC said.
Since the scaffolding went up at the start of the New Year shoppers have been seen queuing to get under the historic bridge, with pictures appearing on Twitter of wheelchair users and parents with pushchairs struggling to get under the narrow arches as the main thoroughfare remains blocked off.
The photographs, taken by residents walking through the city, have sparked calls for a one-way system to be introduced, and fears over what will happen if the works over run into the tourist season.
Meanwhile the Watergate, which has been hidden from public view under scaffolding and wooden hoarding since September 2012 due to safety concerns, will not be covered in a plastic sheet, but we can exclusively reveal that money has been allocated to fix the bridge and works will start in autumn this year.
The covering of the Eastgate and clock will be ‘a one off’ because of their ‘iconic nature’, the council has said.
CWaC have employed specialist contractors William Anelay to carry out the essential restorations to sections of the bridge and the clock’s ornamental ironwork, which are beginning to show the effects of the ravages of time.
The scheme will see damaged sandstone on the Eastgate repaired, and heraldry on the bridge - including the arms of the County Palatine Richard Grosvenor, the sword of justice and three sheaves – re-gilded.
Cllr Stuart Parker, executive member for culture and economy, said: “Nobody wants to see one of Chester’s best-loved landmarks hidden from view but it is an essential protective measure during this highly specialised restoration work.
“It might not be quite the same as gazing at the second most photographed clock in Britain, but we hope that this protective wrap, bearing its image with hands that keep the time, is the next best thing.”
Recent reviews on popular tourism site TripAdvisor show visitors understand the essential work on the clock has to be done but are ‘disappointed’ by the scaffolding on the world-famous landmark.
One visitor who travelled from London to see the Eastgate Clock earlier this year said they were ‘very disappointed about the scaffolding,’ while another said it was ‘sad to see it covered in scaffolding’ and they ‘looked forward’ to seeing the symbol of the city uncovered.
Spokesperson for CWaC, Rachel Ashley, said the wrap, which will also feature a display of other restoration projects that the authority has commissioned on the City Walls over the last five years, will stop the crowding issue as once it goes up the main archway will be reopened.
The council had not received any calls for a one way system to be put in place, she said.
“We do realise it is particularly busy this week with it being half term, we thank people for their patience,” she said.
“The measures are there are to safeguard people, that is why they are in place.
“We are pleased to say the works are on schedule. Within the next few weeks the wrapping will be up and the archway will reopen.”
The temporary clock hands and mechanism will be retained at the end of the project for use in the future, but it is not yet clear what that use might be.
