Posts In: Bells

The Old Joe Clocktower

The University of Birmingham boasts the tallest free-standing clock tower in the world at the heart of its campus, commonly known as ‘Old Joe’ or ‘Big Joe’. In 2017 Old Joe fell silent as the Smith of Derby Group carried out repairs to the strike side of the clock so the famous chimes could be heard across campus once again.   The tower has also had other practical purposes over the last 113 years, since it was built in 1905 when the four JB Joyce clock dials were first commisioned. It was originally designed with the physics department in mind to…