Clock towers

Clock towers are buildings or structures with clocks mounted high above the ground so people in surrounding streets or public spaces can see the time.

Turret clock: A large clock mechanism designed for installation in a tower or other prominent building. Its mechanism drives the oversized dial and hands visible from nearby streets.
Mechanical clock: A clock that measures time through mechanically regulated motion and a driven display. Its development made durable, publicly displayed tower time possible.
Elizabeth Tower: The London tower at the Palace of Westminster that houses the Great Clock and Big Ben bell. Its clock and bell make it one of the best-known clock towers in the world.
Sundial: A device that indicates solar time by the position of a shadow cast by the Sun. Unlike a tower clock, it depends on sunlight and usually serves a smaller viewing area.
Clock face: The dial of a clock, marked to display time through the positions of its hands or indicators. Its size, markings, and placement determine how clearly a tower clock can be read.
Medieval clock: A mechanical timekeeping device used in Europe during the Middle Ages. Early tower installations grew from medieval mechanisms built to mark hours for communities.
Rajabai Clock Tower: A nineteenth-century clock tower at the University of Mumbai in India. Its Gothic Revival design shows how clock towers became prominent campus landmarks.
Church bell: A bell used by a church to mark services, hours, or other events. It communicates time by sound rather than a visible dial.
Clock escapement: A mechanism that regulates a clock by controlling the release of stored energy in measured increments. It sets the regular motion that keeps traditional tower-clock hands advancing.
Monastery: A residential religious community whose members follow a shared rule of life. Monastic schedules created demand for bells and clocks that marked communal hours.

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