History
Designed as part of the initial phase of the Edgbaston campus by architects Aston Webb and Ingress Bell, the tower was constructed between 1900–1908, and stood at the centre of a semicircle of matching red brick buildings. The tower is modelled on the Torre del Mangia in Siena. The original tower designs were amended due to Chamberlain's great admiration for the Italian city's campanile. On 1 October 1905, the Birmingham Post reported that Chamberlain had announced to the University Council an anonymous gift of £50,000 (the donor in fact was Sir Charles Holcroft). This anonymous gift was announced some two months later in the Birmingham Post as "to be intended for the erection of a tower in connection with the new buildings at Bournbrook at a cost estimated by the architects at £25,000. The tower, it was suggested, would be upwards of 300 ft (91.4 m) in height, and would not only form the main architectural feature of the University but would be useful in connection with the Physics Department and as a record tower" (Cheesewright, 1975, p. 55). In 1940, Sir Mark Oliphant used the tower for radar experiments.
The tower remained the tallest building in Birmingham until 1969, when construction on the 152 m (498.7 ft) tall BT Tower was completed in the Jewellery Quarter area of the city. However, Old Joe is still one of the fifty tallest buildings in the UK.
The asteroid 10515 Old Joe, discovered in 1989, is named in the clock tower's honour.
According to popular legend J.R.R Tolkien was influenced heavily by the clock-tower in his design of the stone tower Orthanc from the The Lord of the Rings.
Access to the top of the clock tower has always been limited to pre-appointed visits. Access is also limited due to the presence of asbestos, as reported by university estates management.
Read more about this topic: Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower
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“A man will not need to study history to find out what is best for his own culture.”
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“The whole history of civilisation is strewn with creeds and institutions which were invaluable at first, and deadly afterwards.”
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