Visitors and locals alike will be able to gaze upon the Eastgate Clock once more from today (July 27), as it has shed its protective wrap.
Said to be the second most photographed clock in Britain after Big Ben, the much-admired timepiece has been undergoing a spruce-up, as part of a £500,000 programme to preserve the City Walls.
The Grade I listed structure has been concealed from public view by a plastic cover bearing an image of the bridge and clock in all its glory – complete with working hands so shoppers couldn’t lost track of time – since March.
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But don’t get too excited, as access to the clock and bridge will still be prohibited while the work is completed – which is anticipated to be by the end of the summer.
Cheshire West and Chester Council spokeswoman Rachel Ashley said: “We are removing the cover today. The dismantling of the scaffolding will take us into next week.
“The work is still ongoing on the wall section and the closure of the walkway and the steps next to the clock remains in place.
“But the ground level will be opened up.”
The restoration 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.
