Morpeth Clock Tower

The Clock Tower was constructed sometime between 1604 and 1634 out of recycled Medieval stone giving it its much older appearance. The stone was thought to come from a gatehouse that previously stood at the west end of Oldgate. However, it is more likely to have been built out of stone from the nearby ruined Newminster Abbey which was dissolved in 1537. The tower acquired a peal of six bells cast by the prominent bell founder Richard Phelps (of Whitechapel Bell Foundry) in 1706 at the request of Major General Edmund Maine, MP of Morpeth. These bells were originally intended to be made for the Parish Church of Berwick-upon-Tweed. However, the people of Berwick failed to elect the Maine to…