‘Sore abused, but not yet dead’ – despite hideous extensions and architectural desecration, the Council House – now the Parkview Centre – maintained the clock, which steadfastly refuses to tell the correct time.

I’m pleased to say that The Clayhanger Kid – Brian Stringer – has been in touch with some interesting news. Anyone who’s lived in Brownhills for more than a few days will know of the existence of the Council House Clock.  A landmark overlooking the Miner Island, this lovely wall-mounted time machine has only on rare occasions during it’s life been known to tell the correct time.

With three faces and numerous refurbishments and repairs, the clock has steadfastly refused to behave for most of my life, despite the best efforts of various organisations to sort it out; indeed, the sound of the chimes – not usually on the hour, and normally wrong for the nearest hour – are a wonderful sound at night, and the erroneousness is part of the charm.

It would, however, by nice if the clock could be fixed. Today, Brian emailed me out of the blue with some unexpectedly good news:

Hi Bob!

I’d like to congratulate David Jones, a Local Committee member, who has been pestering Matrix for months now to get the Clock on the bridge working. His efforts have been rewarded with the clock showing the correct time at last (well, nearly). I’m also informed that the new digital system installed will automatically adjust to winter and summer time.

We’ll see.

Keep up the good work mate.

Brian

This could well be interesting – please, over the next few days, as you’re passing the three-faced liar, please do take a note of the time and whether it’s correct. If they really have nailed the clock’s unreliability, it really will be a great result for Brownhills.

Few things speak more eloquently of urban decay and neglect than does a stopped or incorrect public clock.

Brian also informs me that after leaving Brownhills Committee for a while, he’s now back, which can only be good news. Having someone with an email address and web access really is a move in the right direction for the local elders. I wish Brian well, and request he keeps us informed of anything the committee would like promoting or drawing to the community’s attention.

Cheers again to Brian and David. I thank Brian not just for this note but for the excellent work he does for our community. If you’ve taken a look at the clock, please do post the results here.

The unveiling of Brownhills’ biggest liar. Never knowingly on time… Picture from Walsall Council’s ‘A click in time’ website.