1970s poke out at eye-level, whilst an iron-weighted pendulum dangles down, providing its life and energy. Treading carefully, one scales the final ladder to reach the trapdoor, which opens to reveal the bells at the summit. The area was ringed in mesh wire to prevent birds from entering. The familiar chiming sounds, so beloved by all Alleynians, are produced by four iron hemisphere bells. Much like the clockwork a few floors below, numerous pipes and wires surround them. From here, one has a fantastic view of everything from the new Science Block to the (rival) tower in Crystal Palace. Further research revealed more popular myths – that Ernest Shackleton was expelled for climbing the tower without permission. Or that, at the end of the Summer Term in 1970, a group of boys broke the locks on the door and stole the winding-handle for the clock? The culprits are still at large. So even as we let go of some of the more exotic theories surrounding it, the historic clock tower, so central to the life of the College, still holds much to fascinate and entertain.
What lies within the tower is… a clock
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