City centre clock restored

A HISTORIC four-sided clock tower in the centre of Cardiff is back chiming again after being restored to full working order.

After being in a state of disrepair for a number of years the landmark clock tower at the Grade II-listed Hodge House, which dates back to 1915, has been painstakingly restored at a cost of £380,000 by the building’s owner, Legal & General.

Original manufacturer of the clock, Smith of Derby, undertook the restoration work – as part of a project overseen by architects Stride Treglown. Hodge House, which runs along Queen St, and with its main entrance on Guildhall Place, provides 110,000 sq ft of office space across its eight floors.

The 32 week programme of work on its clock tower involved five separate crane lifts and using the largest mobile tower crane in the world to reach up and over the building.

St Mary Street had to be closed on each occasion.