The Emett Clock

It was commissioned by Capital and Counties in 1970 and designed and built by kinetic sculptor Rowland Emett. A photograph shows a pencilled note on a whitewashed beam in Emett's barn: 26th August 1970 (1/2 Closing Day) construction of the fountain started. Installation commenced late 1972 (the year the Victoria Centre opened) and was completed before 20 February 1973. The foundation stone reads THE VICTORIA CENTRE TIME FOUNTAIN FEBRUARY 20TH 1973 BY EMETT. In its original design, this clock played Rameau's Gigue en Rondeau II from the E-minor suite of his Pièces de Clavecin when striking the hour and half hour. The clock parts were designed by Thwaites & Reed. It is 23ft high and has…

It is topped by four silver-white clock faces with gilded hands and numerals. The animated sculpture underneath consists of a sunflower with 36 copper petals, partially obscuring an orchestra of six 'jewelled' players; three squirrels and three birds. At fifteen-minute intervals, a bell strikes followed by a performance; the petals are lowered to reveal the players, the entire orchestra rotates and each player spins on its vertical axis. The music for harpsichord Gigue en Rondeau II plays for 75 seconds after which the petals are raised and the animation ceases. A two-metre diameter cobweb wheel carrying 'jewelled' butterflies and frogs rotates continuously during the daytime as does the…