As a local business that specialises in watches and clocks ourself, we thought it would be interesting to delve in to the history of Kenilworth clock tower. If you are local to Kenilworth and were born here you might already know how the clock tower came to be. G.M Turner had the clock tower made in 1891 in memory of his late wife. He then passed it on to the Kenilworth council in 1906.
The clock tower has had many changes in the last 100 years since being built, as well as the Kenilworth high street with the layout of the town changing. One of the most dramatic events that happened surrounding the clock tower was in 1940. It was on the 21st November 1940 that the air-raids began in Birmingham and Coventry. As Kenilworth is more rural than the industrial targets, it was thought that Kenilworth would be safe from the air-raid. Unfortunately in the early hours of the morning a landmine hit the tower and what was known as the globe behind it from a solitary german plane.
The globe was destroyed, the memory of the lives lost can be found at Abby End, however the tower remained with only slight damage to the crown at the top of the tower. This was repaired by Kenilworth’s Urban District Council in 1973/4 and looks as it did then today. If you take a closer look at the clock tower you can see where the brick work has been repaired, although it wasn’t major damage it is noticeable.
If you would like more information on the history of Kenilworth clock tower then you can visit the Kenilworth council’s website or alternatively Kenilworth’s history and archaeology society.
Image in this blog sourced from www.khas.co.uk.