The iconic nursery rhyme clock in the Wellgate Centre has been captivating and delighting Dundee children for decades.
What does nostalgia sound like? Well, for generations of Dundonians, it is simply the tinkling sound of the chiming, charming Wellgate clock.
Many a parent’s shopping trip has been thwarted over the years with a diversion to watch the animals on the clock spring to life as they help ring in the hour.
And 43 years after its installation, the vintage timepiece with its nursery rhyme chimes still enchants passers-by with its timeless appeal.
It was designed by Charles Anderson and built by renowned clockmaker Haward Horological Ltd.
The firm installed it above the Patio restaurant in September 1978 when the Wellgate Centre opened.
The Wellgate ticker is one of many well-known animated clocks created by Haward Horological.
A similar clock with a Noah’s Ark theme exists in the Eastgate Centre in Inverness.
Dundee’s clock, however, features a prancing unicorn, a footman and animals including a majestic lion, perching bluebirds, and a cat with a fiddle – all of which surround the ornately decorated clockface.
Every Dundonian will recall the sound of the clock ringing out to the tune of nursery rhymes of their childhood such as Little Bo Peep and Pop Goes the Weasel.
As the hour approaches, the footman winds a musical box prompting the monkey figurine to spin around and the unicorn to start galloping with gusto.
Meanwhile, the cat plays the fiddle and the lazy lion is roused from his rest on the hour, every hour, to chime the time on a bell with his tail.
The clock has nine bells, all of which were cast by the well-known Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London, where Britain’s most celebrated bell, Big Ben, was cast.
The magical awakening of the clock at midday – when it puts on its most impressive display of 12 nursery rhymes – also sees all the butterfly doors on the clockface open to reveal painted depictions of nursery rhymes behind.
In its heyday, crowds would gather below to watch the clock spring into action, enthralling little ones who would patiently wait for their favourite nursery rhymes.
But it wasn’t just a hit with tots, it was a well-known meeting place to while away time waiting on a friend or a date.
Shops may have come and gone, but the clock has remained a steadfast landmark in Dundee and still stirs up magical memories for many.
And it’s not been unheard of for the Wellgate Centre to have had requests for photos of the clock from Dundonian ex-pats living abroad.
While the timepiece may not be as pitch-perfect as it once was, it is still subject to regular maintenance to keep the cogs turning.
The last 43 years may have been lost in the sands of time, but the wonderful Wellgate clock is still ticking on in the digital age.
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