Shopping centre clock to return to original site
BBCAn iconic shopping centre water clock is set to return to its original location once repairs are complete.
The 23ft (7m) Emett Clock, in Nottingham's Victoria Centre, was taken away from its current location on the upper floor near the York Street entrance to the centre in May.
But preparations are now under way to return the timepiece to the centre's main foyer off Lower Parliament Street, where it was first installed in 1973.
Nigel Wheatley, centre director, said it was "the news we know so many people have been waiting to hear".
The Aqua Horological Tintinnabulator, as it is officially named, has become a well-known and much-loved feature and a popular meeting spot in Nottingham.
Before being removed in the spring, the clock was last dismantled in 2014 and taken to Birmingham to be completely restored before it was returned 18 months later to the upper floor despite protests.
Since May, retired engineer Paul Dexter has been breaking down the clock into thousands of parts to check it over and make repairs, before carefully returning each part to the correct place.
The work is expected to take Dexter, who has maintained the clock for more than a decade, about six months.
Wheatley said: "We know just how much this clock means to the city and how strongly people feel about seeing it back in South Square.
"It's part of the fabric of Victoria Centre and holds so many memories for generations of our visitors.
"To finally be able to say it's returning to where so many people believe it belongs is incredibly exciting. We can't wait to see it take pride of place."
When running, the clock opens up and moves every 15 minutes and was designed by the eccentric Englishman Rowland Emett.
The sculptor and cartoonist also created contraptions for the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Generations of people have dropped money into a pool of water at the bottom, raising more than £300,000 for charity over the years.
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