Today's Object of the Week is a clock which has been restored to its former glory.
THORNABY Town Hall clock first started ticking more than 130 years ago.
It's missed a few beats since then, but is now looking something like its old self, after an extensive refurbishment.
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The town hall itself was designed by James Garry of West Hartlepool and the foundation stone for the new building was laid by the chairman of the South Stockton local board of health, John Steel, on October 25, 1890.
Some of the more impressive features are the ornate entrance doors, with the Thornaby coat of arms set in stained glass, and a large stone spiral staircase with a beautiful glass domed roof.
But the piece de resistance is in the attic - the clock and it's mechanism.
The clock itself was donated by Alderman William Anderson and was made by Potts and Sons of Leeds.
It is powered by a pendulum mechanism and originally used gas to illuminate the clock face at night.
Potts and Sons were founded by a Darlington man, William Potts, who was born in Salt Yard, off Bondgate, in 1809 and who served his apprenticeship to a clockmaker on High Row.
When he completed it in 1833, he was not allowed to set up in business in direct competition to his master, so he moved to Pudsey, Leeds, and cornered the market in turret clocks.
Almost every Victorian town hall, church spire or railway station clock you ever set eyes on anywhere in the world will be a Potts clock - and Thornaby’s quarter-chiming one is a fine example.
The clock tower bells were made by a foundry in Stockton. But when they were delivered to the town hall, one was discovered to have a crack and had to be recast by an east London firm.
The clock started ticking when the town hall was opened on January 27, 1892.
Its fate took a turn for the worse when Thornaby Borough Council ceased to exist in 1968 after Teesside was formed and the building fell out of use.
This short-lived arrangement ended in 1974 when Thornaby became part of Stockton-on-Tees.
After facing an uncertain future for a number of years, the run-down Town Hall was sold back to Thornaby Town Council In 2012.
A project to restore the Grade II listed building has been ongoing ever since, with the magnificent clock at its centre.
* To inquire about office space to rent in Thornaby Town Hall, contact the town council on 01642-678652.
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