These images were published in The Building News on 22 July 1881. Both designs had been submitted to a competition for a proposed clock tower in Brighton, although neither was used.
It wasn’t their time
At first glance, both images look very similar to the Clock Tower that stands today.
The design at the top by James M Maclaren is closer to the final design, although it lacks the grand arches at the base.
The design below, by Thomas Simpson and Henry Branch, is much more ornate. If you zoom in and look below the clock face you can make out the words ‘Passing Away’. The other three faces also presumably had similar messages.
The Clock Tower that we can see today was completed in 1888 to a design by John Johnson.
Author: Kevin Bacon, Digital Manager
