Development of The Area
At the time of its construction the traffic in the areas was horse-drawn. Tram lines were installed in the area between 1903 and 1904. Originally a traffic island at a 5-way junction, the Clock Tower was later converted to be the centre-piece of a roundabout, in 1926, one of the first in the UK. There were calls for the tower to be demolished in the 1930s, with increasing traffic in the area, and in the 1960s there were suggestions that it should be relocated to Victoria Park, but despite the major changes that have taken place in the area, including the construction of the Haymarket Shopping Centre and the resulting demolition of many nearby buildings (including John Burton's shop) it has remained. Pedestrianisation has now led to Humberstone Gate and Gallowtree Gate being closed to traffic, and the Clock Tower is now bounded by a road solely on the northern side.
Restoration of the tower was undertaken (and substantially funded) in 1992 by architects and engineers Pick Everard to mark the company's 125th anniversary.
In the first decade of the 21st century, Leicester City Council unveiled plans to greatly enhance the Clock Tower through extensive de-cluttering to achieve a restored landmark public space at the heart of the city. Construction on the new site was completed in late 2008.
On Monday 5 November 2007 both the Leicester Mercury and The Sun printed articles on a hoax petition, set up by local man Luke Anthony Williams. Over 3000 people joined a Facebook group to save the Clock Tower, even though plans to demolish the monument were fictitious: the only evidence that he could provide was a Wikipedia edit made by himself.
The tower is a Grade II listed building. In 2010, with the clock losing time, the mechanism was repaired.
Read more about this topic: Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower
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