The present clock is the second to occupy the site. More information is sought about the previous clock tower which is believed to have been installed when the park opened in 1931 or soon afterwards. It was certainly still standing when this photo was taken in 1947.
The present clock tower was a gift from Mr and Mrs E D Nuttall in 1978. A similar clock and tower were installed in the Hoe Lodge Gardens in 1965. Eric Donald Nuttall lived between 1917 and 1988, and he was the city’s Lord Mayor 1970-71.
The clock tower was probably the only major development in the second half of the 20th century where the sole motive was to improve the park for everyone’s benefit and it deserves to be celebrated for that reason.
For several years after its installation, the clock attracted repeated bouts of vandalism causing much sadness and necessitating costly repairs by the makers, John Smith and Sons of Derby.